


The Stares You Give.

by softyjseo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Additional Characters to be added, Alpha Seo Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eventual Smut, First Time, How Do I Tag, Internship, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Omega Lee Taeyong, Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-07-15 12:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 89,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16063481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softyjseo/pseuds/softyjseo
Summary: Taeyong didn’t have time. He didn’t have time for his friends, for his school work or anything else other than his jobs. Add an internship at a company which only hires alphas to that mix, and you get an even more stressed Taeyong. The fact that the CEO of said company, an alpha named Seo Youngho, happens to be extremely attractive and enticing doesn’t really help.





	1. Chapter 1.

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone!
> 
> I'm here with my first chaptered abo fic, and i hope you guys will enjoy it. I'll try to upload this every single week on Saturday.
> 
> a quick disclaimer: i don't own any of the characters in this story, and their behavior/attitude in this story does not portray them in real life. if you're not comfortable reading stories which contain smut, gay relationships or this universe, then i suggest you click away. 
> 
> enjoy!  
> x D.

A soft breeze whipped through campus, pulling leaves along with it. As the sky turned from a black to a soft blue, some students were already walking along the paths of the campus, making their way to morning classes. Lee Taeyong was one of them, but instead of rushing to his class, he was rushing back to his dorm.

Coming back from his part time job at the bar down the street from the university, Taeyong ran towards the Omega faculty. As he passed several of his classmates, they all shot him weird looks. Taeyong knew his economics lecture started in fifteen minutes, but he had to go and get changed first.

As he opened the door to his dorm, his roommate Jungwoo was lounging on his bed. He looked up as Taeyong barged in, and frowned. ‘’you reek of alpha, hyung.’’ Taeyong sighed, shrugging off his jacket. He indeed smelled like all sorts of different alpha’s, but working as an omega at a bar, it was to be expected.

‘’good morning to you too, woo.’’ Jungwoo nodded in acknowledgement, and turned back to the magazine he was reading. ‘’doesn’t your class start in fifteen minutes?’’ Taeyong cursed under his breath, quickly ridding himself of his work uniform before putting on some jeans and a hoodie.

Jungwoo threw some perfume at him, and Taeyong thanked him as he sprayed it on. ‘’I’ll see you at lunch!’’ he exclaimed, slinging his backpack over his shoulder before rushing back out.

Slipping into his seat, Taeyong’s cheeks a flushed red and his legs almost collapsing because of the fact that he _ran_ across campus to the lecture hall, he sighed and dropped his bag down to the floor.

‘’I cannot believe that you make it here on time, every single Tuesday.’’ Taeyong shrugged, turning his head to Yuta, who was seated next to him. He sniffled, picking up a different sort of scent than Yuta usually carried with him, and Taeyong smiled.

‘’spent the night at Sicheng’s, huh?’’ Yuta, the proud alpha that he is, nodded and smirked. ‘’can you smell him on me?’’ Taeyong nodded, pinching his nose closed to emphasize his statement. Yuta grinned, ‘’he was kind of rubbing his scent all over me. I think having your scent on me makes him jealous.’’

Taeyong groaned at that. Yuta had been one of his best friends ever since Yuta moved to Seoul when he was eleven, and the older of the duo wasn’t ready to give up his best friend just because Yuta had found his soulmate.

Even though Yuta and Sicheng had been dating for over five months, Sicheng sometimes still got a little bit insecure whenever Yuta would have Taeyong’s scent on him, no matter how much Taeyong told Sicheng that Yuta was his best friend, nothing more.

‘’you think?’’ Taeyong commented.

Yuta snorted, shaking his head. ‘’anyway. Have you found a company yet to do your work placement at?’’ Taeyong his eyes widened, and Yuta chuckled. ‘’from the look on your face, I’m going to take that as a no.’’

‘’when was the deadline again?’’ he asked, rapidly grabbing his laptop and opening google. ‘’the deadline for preferred companies was yesterday at twelve.’’ Taeyong sighed, slouching back in his seat.

He was planning on handing in the document for his preferred company, the fashion magazine Vogue Korea, right before he left for work, but an emergency came up -Baekhyun somehow managed to get his heat triggered by a customer- so Taeyong was forced to come in early, which resulted in him promptly forgetting about the deadline.

‘’Professor Lee will choose a company now.’’ Yuta continued, and Taeyong rolled his eyes.

‘’I am screwed.’’

‘’you could say that.’’

‘’this is the moment where you’re supposed to say: you’ll be fine.’’ Taeyong retorted, and Yuta chuckled.

‘’nah dude, this is all your doing.’’ Taeyong groaned, banging his head down on his desk. He knew that some students were looking at him by now, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a damn. Not being able to put in his preferable company resulted in the professor choosing a company for his work placement, which meant having no control over where he would end up.

He could send him to the depths of hell, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

 

As Taeyong walked down the stairs of the lecture hall, Yuta right behind him, he tried to find Professor Lee in the crowd. ‘’I’m gonna go and talk to him, see what he can do.’’ Yuta nodded, patting him on the shoulder. ‘’I’ll see you in the cafeteria.’’

Taeyong nodded, waiting for his friend to walk out of the classroom before making his way to the professor. Professor Lee was a well respected professor on campus. Being an alpha male brought some level of respect with you everywhere you went, but the professor also seemed to radiate power, knowledge and an odd sense of comfort, which made him one of the favourites of the economic students.

But, the man could be strict and was still an alpha, so when Taeyong got closer to him he could feel his biological trait scream at him to submit. He bowed his head, waiting for the professor to address him.

‘’Lee Taeyong-ah, what can I do for you?’’

Taeyong looked up, meeting the professor his gaze before sighing. ‘’I didn’t hand in my work placement on time.’’ He said, and the professor simply nodded at that. Taeyong groaned on the inside, he wanted to get this over with.

‘’and I was wondering, can I please hand it in now? I wanted to do it yesterday, but something came up at work.’’ Professor Lee chuckled, and shook his head. ‘’I wish I could help you, because I’ve heard from other professors that your abundance of part time jobs usually get in the way of your grades and such, but I can’t help you. You missed the deadline, and that’s that.’’ Taeyong sighed, bowing his head in acknowledgment.

Other professors had also told Taeyong that having as many part time jobs as he has, he has three, was making his grades drop significantly.

‘’yeah, I understand. Thank you, professor.’’ To his credit, the professor did look conflicted for a second, before smiling at Taeyong. ‘’I’ll try to find you something that’ll help you.’’ Taeyong nodded at that, bowing. ‘’thank you, sir.’’ And with that, Taeyong left the hall.

‘’and?’’ Yuta asked as Taeyong slid into a seat at the crowded table. He shook his head, and Yuta sighed. ‘’I’m sorry, dude.’’

‘’what happened?’’ Doyoung, also one of Taeyong’s good friends, asked. ‘’I missed the work placement deadline. Professor Lee is picking a company for me.’’ Doyoung whistled, shaking his head. ‘’you’re kinda screwed, dude.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes at the beta, shaking his head.

‘’we figured that out a while ago, Do.’’ The other raised his hands in defence, and with that the subject dropped. Not shortly after Yuta started telling some story of what had happened in one of his classes –‘’No guys, I swear, she literally fell on her face after looking at me.’’- Sicheng and Jungwoo joined their table.

‘’where’s Yukhei, woo?’’ Yuta asked right after the omega sat down, and he shrugged. ‘’he texted me that his coach wanted to see him now, so.’’ Yukhei and Jungwoo had been dating since their second year of high school, soulmates destined to meet when Yukhei moved from China to Jungwoo’s hometown.

Their story was cute, and usually made anyone willing to listen to the entire thing coo, but after hearing it for so long, some people get sick of it. And jealous. Taeyong was one of those people.

Taeyong sighed, it saved him from third wheeling on his own. Doyoung, the only beta in the group, had managed to grasp the attention of Jaehyun, his boyfriend, an alpha, right at the beginning of this year.

‘’hey guys!’’ speaking of the devil, everyone turned their heads to see Jaehyun walking towards them. Immediately, Taeyong picked up on Jaehyun’s scent, and as he turned his head he noticed that Sicheng did, too. Blushing ever so slightly, the strong alpha scent elicited a reaction out of the omega’s at the table who weren’t actually mated.

Yuta and Sicheng hadn’t given each other marks _yet_ , and well, Taeyong had no one to call his, let alone mark himself with. Jungwoo seemed blissfully unaffected, Yukhei’s mark stopping the scent from getting to Jungwoo as forcefully as it did to Taeyong and Sicheng.

‘’jesus, what did he do?’’ Sicheng whispered, leaning towards Taeyong as Jaehyun walked over to Doyoung to greet him with a kiss. ‘’I have no idea, but he reeks.’’

‘’It’s probably his rut coming up.’’ Taeyong blushed at Yuta’s words, and Yuta chuckled. ‘’oh come on, Tae. It’s normal!’’ he shushed Yuta, and turned his attention back onto the table.

While everyone seemed to fall into a pattern of chit chatting, Taeyong lost himself in his thoughts. Now that he had lost the opportunity to do his work placement at Vogue, it was going to be hard to get a job at a fashion magazine as a journalist after college.

Ever since Taeyong was little he loved fashion. He would sneak into his sister’s room and read her magazines, and sometimes when he dared, he’d go to his parent’s room and mess with his mothers make-up.

Fashion was something he was always interested in. In high school, he’d dress the girls wanting to perform at the annual showcase, designing their matching outfits. He’d design the costumes for the drama club and he’d give fashion advice to those who asked. He lived and breathe fashion, and now he had lost his only chance.

Taeyong could cry.

‘’Hey, Taeyong?’’ He looked up to see Doyoung staring at him intently, and he nodded. ‘’do you have work today?’’ once again, he nodded. His shift at the campus coffee shop started in about three hours.

In that time, he wanted go back to his dorm and take a nap, his classes over for the day. Taeyong was exhausted. The type of exhausted that made your body feel like cement. The bone crushing type of exhaustion that ran through every vessel of your _being_ , and Taeyong knew a three hour nap wasn’t going to make the bags under his eyes go away, or help the exhaustion, but he could _try._

‘’yeah. My shift starts in three hours. I’m heading back to the dorms in a few to take a quick nap beforehand.’’

‘’You work too much, Tae.’’ Jaehyun chipped in, and Taeyong rolled his eyes. ‘’I have my college tuition, living fees and food to pay for. I can’t not work.’’ His friends looked at him with worry in their eyes as Taeyong got up.

‘’don’t worry about me guys, I’ll be fine.’’ He plastered a smile on his face and he hoped it was reaching his eyes, but by the looks of Jungwoo and Yuta’s faces, it wasn’t. he turned around, however, and walked off.

The second Taeyong reached his dorm, he plopped into bed. As he laid his face down on the pillow, he plugged in his phone and sighed.

He hated this. He hated having to work and sacrifice his grades. He hated being the only person in their friend group who didn’t have a _someone._ Yuta had Sicheng, Doyoung had Jaehyun and Jungwoo had Yukhei. Everyone around Taeyong seemed to be happy, living, _breathing_ , while Taeyong was in a constant mode of _survival._

Closing his eyes, Taeyong tried to blank out his mind. He tried to slouch his shoulders, tried to let the fatigue that plagued his body take over. Eventually, the comforting scent that Jungwoo seemed to spread everywhere got to him, and lulled him to sleep.

 

‘’Oi! Taehyung-hyung!’’ Taeyong shook up from his position, leaning against the counter with his head bowed low. He quickly turned his head to look at Donghyuck, one of his co-workers at the café and a college freshman, who was standing on the other side of the counter, his hands on his waist.

‘’There’s customers in your area.’’ He continued, and Taeyong nodded. ‘’thanks hyuckie.’’ Donghyuck smiled at him, a hint of worry hidden in the crook of his lips.

Taeyong ignored it, like he does with literally everyone, and walked towards the few tables in his area that were taken by customers.

He helped the few college students that were seated scattered across the tables, divided into small groups of friends. Laughing, studying and talking. For a split second, Taeyong felt jealous. He wanted to be able to get through his last two years of college as calm as others, without having to balance three part time jobs and school. He forced himself to stop his train of thought as he walked over to two men in suits, because he knew that if he let himself dwell too long, it wouldn’t end well.

Two men in suits was a strange occurrence in a college café, and Taeyong was forced to do a double take. The two men were clad in suits, their ties neatly tied around their necks and dress shoes as shiny as Taeyong’s bathroom floor -which is, according to Doyoung, way too shiny- And to Taeyong, it was weird to see men like this in the café.

Nonetheless, Taeyong walked up to their table, straightening his apron and putting a smile on his face.

‘’Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name is Taeyong and I will be your waiter for today. What can I get you?’’ When they both turned their head towards Taeyong, the small omega was suddenly very glad that scent dampers were installed in the café. The two men _radiated_ alpha status, their long legs and muscular arms a clear sign of their biology.

Taeyong was sure if the dampers hadn’t been there, he’d be a mess on the floor by now.

One of the men gave Taeyong a short look over and a curt smile, and Taeyong choked back a whimper, the _sheer_ look of lust and almost possessiveness almost tripping Taeyong. He had black hair, slicked back carefully and put together by hair gel. His suit fit him perfectly, and for a moment Taeyong felt his inner omega howl at him to sit in the strangers lap.

The other man, who seemed a little older, smiled more kindly at Taeyong. ‘’We’d both like a coffee, black no sugar, and I’d like the sandwich with salmon,’’ Taeyong wrote it down on his small notepad, before turning back to intimidating but extremely attractive man, waiting for his order.

‘’I’d like the sandwich with egg.’’ For some reason, the man his voice sent shivers down Taeyong’s spine, and he hoped it wasn’t too visible as he wrote down the order on the notepad. ‘’thank you, your order will be here soon.’’

Taeyong quickly scurried back to the counter, handing the pieces of paper to Donghyuck so he could help him make the orders. ‘’they ordered black coffee? No sugar? Who does that?’’ The younger asked, making Taeyong chuckle dryly.

‘’adults do, Donghyuck-ah. Adults.’’

‘’what are they even doing here?’’ Donghyuck proceeded to ask, turning around and starting to work on the coffee’s for the two men, and the college students. Taeyong shrugged as he pushed the pieces of paper through the small window toward the kitchen. A hand swept them away, and Taeyong turned his attention back to Donghyuck.

‘’I ha-‘’

‘’They gave a guest lecture during HTML class this morning.’’ The two waiters turned to see who said that, and a smile took over Donghyuck’s features. Mark smiled at him, and Donghyuck walked over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

‘’Oh?’’ Taeyong asked, eyeing the two businessmen seated at their table. ‘’they own the IT company called SeoKim. They’re as successful as anyone could ever get.’’ Mark said, sitting down at one of the barstools.

As Donghyuck got back to work on making the drinks, Taeyong turned to look at Mark. ‘’they look so young, though.’’ Mark nodded at that, ‘’they started their company in freshman year of college.’’ Taeyong raised his eyebrows, kissing his teeth. People that rich made him incredibly envious and angry.

‘’let me guess, hyung, they’re both alpha’s.’’ before Mark could answer Dongyuck’s question, Taeyong butted in.

‘’they are. I could smell them.’’ Mark raised his eyebrows, ‘’even with the dampers in place? Damn.’’ Taeyong nodded at that, and Donghyuck gasped softly.

‘’that means they’re unmated! Go get yourself a rich hubby, hyung!’’ Taeyong gasped, whacking Donghyuck across the head with a dish towel. Mark giggled, and shook his head at his boyfriend.

‘’one of them is unmated. I could only smell one distinct scent.’’ Taeyong continued, and Donghyuck giggled.

‘’I hope it’s the older one, he’s pretty attractive.’’

‘’hey!’’ Mark exclaimed, ‘’I’m right here, y’know.’’

‘’I know, babe. Love ya.’’ Donghyuck emphasized his words by walking over to Mark and kissing him over the counter top. Taeyong gagged. Donghyuck chuckled and handed Taeyong the coffee’s for the two men, a smirk on his face.

‘’I’ll handle the students, you go talk to your future husband.’’ And with a wink, Donghyuck walked off. Taeyong was used to the younger his teasing, but for some reason, this specific comment made the older blush.

‘’go get them, hyung!’’ Mark yelped as Taeyong whacked him with a dish towel too, a fond smile on his face nonetheless.

‘’you eat your cake, asshat.’’ He said, before turning to grab the coffee. As Taeyong walked towards the table, he could smell the scent of one of the men creeping up on him. The scent of hard wood, wet grass that had just been cut and a soft hint of cinnamon enveloped Taeyong’s body. He was sure he wasn’t the only one affected by it, but he didn’t dare look in favour of not dropping the two mugs of coffee.

‘’Here you go, your food is on the way.’’ Taeyong said as he put down the mugs. The two men nodded at him, and as Taeyong bowed and walked off, they continued their conversation that Taeyong had interrupted.

‘’I’m so glad there are dampers in here, because otherwise you’d reek.’’ Was the first thing Donghyuck said as Taeyong stood back at the counter, and the older whacked him across the head once more.

As they bickered, Taeyong’s phone dinged, signalizing a text message.

**Woowoo:** _yukhei, sicheng and yuta are coming over tonight is that ok_

Taeyong groaned. Another night of fifth wheeling two couples, what a great way to spend your free evening. Mark chuckled, grabbing Taeyong’s phone and laughing even harder as he read the text.

‘’well, I hope you have a pillow to cuddle ready, hyung.’’ Mark snorted, and Taeyong groaned again. He snatched back his phone, and proceeded to text Jungwoo back with a scowl on his face.

**Taeyong:** _if you guys make sure I can still write my essay for my media class, I’ll be fine._

Taeyong scoffed as he put his phone back in his pocket, and grabbed the sandwiches and the bowl of nachos the other table had ordered. Before Donghyuck could come up with a remark about the two men in suits, Taeyong walked off.


	2. Chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!
> 
> i know i said saturday, but i couldn't wait to upload. besides, i'm gonna be really busy tomorrow with moving and crap, so yeah. 
> 
> also, i apologize if this chapter isn't the best. i haven't been feeling the best, don't worry please i have therapy for it all shshs, but yeah. i hope it isn't too bad and that you'll still enjoy it even though it isnt to the best of my abilities. i hope i'll feel better next week :)
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> x D.

Ever since he started high school, Taeyong had a routine. Waking up, eating as fast as possible, making it to school, working his ass off trying to learn things that would help stabilize his future, go to work, get home and sleep three hours before waking up and repeating the process.

It had gotten him through three torturous years of high school, and so far through two years of college, and he wasn’t quite ready to give it up.

But, as he sat in his Statistics class, laptop opened on his notes and book opened on a page the professor had discussed moments ago, he realized he was going to have to give all of that up when the moment of his work placement arrived.

In exactly one period, he would be seated next to Yuta, awaiting the dooming moment of professor Lee dropping the contract on his desk. The contract that would contain the name, location and the position of his work placement, something he was going to have to work on for the next six months.

Taeyong hoped the TA would give him the document.

Worrying his way through his Statistic class, his mind in a completely different classroom, he found himself sitting in his usual seat next to Yuta only an hour later. This semester was going to be the death of Taeyong, he was sure of it.

‘’Good afternoon, class.’’ Professor Lee started, seated atop his desk with a stack of documents placed neatly next to him. Approximately one hundred pieces of paper were displayed on that very desk, and one of them was signed to Lee Taeyong. He hated that he had no idea what it said.

Most students had handed in their preferred companies way before deadline. But, because Taeyong is extremely good at procrastinating, and on top of that extremely insecure about his work, he waited until the last minute.

One emergency, one obstacle, made him forget and now he’s screwed.

‘’dude, it won’t be that bad. Your pheromones are kind of going insane.’’ Yuta whispered, leaning into Taeyong, sniffling. Taeyong blushed. He tried to calm himself down in favour of reducing the amount of stress pheromones he was giving out, but by the looks of it, it wasn’t really helping.

A few boys seated near him turned their heads, searching for the particular smell. Taeyong slouched back in his seat, and focused his mind to listen to what professor Lee was talking about.

‘’You are the first department of this year to receive your work placement. After this period, I’m off to hand them out to other classes.’’ Work placements weren’t just for Journalism majors. Every major had them in their third year; six months that consisted of three days of work, and two days of classes a week.

Professor Lee just happened to be the coordinator for it all. There were at least hundreds of students in their third year, and Taeyong had no idea how the man managed all of it.

‘’Now, Jinki and I will hand out your contracts. If there are any complaints, please contact me after class. My email is on the board.’’ With that, the TA and the professor got to work handing out the pieces of paper.

Shouts of victory could be heard from the first few students who received their placement, and from then on it all became a blur. Taeyong just anxiously stared at the desk in front of him, his eyes trained on the small heart etched into the wood.

He turned his head, however, when Yuta nudged him. ‘’I got in!’’ Taeyong smiled for him, high fiving the excited male as he read over his contract again and again. ‘’I can’t believe this! They accepted me!’’ Nakamoto Yuta, a biology major who took the economics course for _fun,_ got accepted into the lab he wanted to work at, and Taeyong could only smile for his best friend. Congratulating him with only a high five and a smile.

‘’there you go.’’ Jinki, at least Taeyong’s prayers about that had been answered, softly placed Taeyong’s contract on his desk. He gulped, bowing his head at Jinki before turning his gaze onto the piece of paper.

He stared for a solid minute before Yuta snatched it. Taeyong didn’t even struggle against Yuta reading it first. The heavy feeling in his chest didn’t relief itself even when Yuta made a noise of surprise. He only looked up and cocked an eyebrow.

‘’Read it yourself.’’ Yuta handed the piece of paper back, and Taeyong took a hold of it shakily.

‘’ _Congratulations, you have been accepted as an intern for the media department of SeoKim. The address is mentioned at the bottom of this contract. Your first day of work is on the 22 nd of September. We look forward to working with you, Lee Taeyong._’’

It took a minute to process, and the name of the company sounded extremely familiar as Taeyong read over the note, again and again.

‘’Look at it this way, hyung, at least you have a place in your field. Media is also journalism, right?’’ Taeyong just nodded absentmindedly, his brain wrecking over where he had heard that name before.

‘’it’s not too bad, no.’’ He managed out, and Yuta smiled at him. ‘’see! I told you everything was going to be fine.’’ Taeyong nodded, turning his gaze back toward the piece of paper in his hand.

 

‘’You received your work placement contract today, right?’’ Taeyong raised his head from where he was reading a paragraph for his writing class over and over, trying to detect any mistakes he had made. He nodded at Mark, who was once again seated on a barstool with a cup of tea and a piece of cake in front of him.

‘’Did you receive a good one?’’ the older nodded again. He walked over to Mark and handed over the piece of paper after unfolding it from his back pocket.

Mark took it and scanned it, his eyes widening even further than usual. ‘’You got accepted into SeoKim?’’ Taeyong nodded, shrugging. It wasn’t Vogue Korea, nowhere near fashion at all, but at least it was some sort of Journalism.

‘’That’s the company those two men were the CEO’s from! The one’s who came in last week?’’ as Mark’s words downed on him, Taeyong’s eyes widened.

He remembered the intense stare one of them had given him, the scent that had completely enveloped Taeyong for three days _straight,_ even with showers. He remembered the shiver that went down his spine when the seemingly younger one of the two talked, and kind smile the older one shot his way.

He was screwed.

‘’Fuck.’’ Taeyong said, taking the piece of paper back from Mark. Mark coughed, and Taeyong let out a puff of air. ‘’the universe wants me dead.’’

‘’I don’t know about that, hyung. But, what I do know that the universe has plans for you. Did you know that SeoKim is known for the fact that they rarely hire omega’s?’’ Marks words hit Taeyong spot on, and he shook his head.

‘’Do I look like someone who would know that, Mark?’’ Taeyong enquired, and the boy shook his head.

‘’No, not at all.’’ Mark chuckled at his own words, and Taeyong sighed in mock annoyance.

Finding work as an omega was hard already. Usually omega’s would find jobs at companies strictly hiring them, sometimes in combination with beta workers. But for Taeyong to end up at a company that rarely hired omega’s, was mind boggling.

‘’This can’t be right.’’ Even Jungwoo seemed to think so as the duo was perched upon Taeyong’s bed later that evening, enjoying a bowl of popcorn while Jungwoo watched a movie and Taeyong did his homework.

‘’Professor Lee doesn’t make mistakes, Jungwoo.’’ Oh, and Yukhei was there. He was seated on the floor, his mile long legs sprawled across the carpeted floor. Yukhei had been in professor Lee’s class last year, but didn’t have the pleasure of getting taught by him again this year.

Instead, he was forced to listen to professor Han, an old lady with a knack for giving out detention, even though they weren’t in high school anymore, and an extremely monotone voice.

‘’Well, then you should mail him! he can’t force an omega, an _unmated_ omega, to work at a company with ninety-five percent alpha workers!’’ Jungwoo protested, hitting his mate’s shoulder. Yukhei chuckled, turning his head slightly to look at Taeyong.

‘’maybe your soulmate works there.’’ The alpha wiggled his eyebrows to add effect to his words. Taeyong chucked a pillow at him and groaned.

‘’if you say that one more time I’ll get security. You know I don’t have one.’’

Jungwoo gasped, ‘’you wouldn’t. he can’t get his card removed, again.’’ Usually, alpha’s weren’t allowed to enter the omega dorm faculty, strictly for safety purposes. With the only exception of couples who had already been mated. Not a lot of college students were, because not a lot actually found their soulmates or got mated this early on in life, but Yukhei was the proud owner of a faculty green card.

‘’yes Jungwoo, let’s remind me of the time where I did lose it.’’ Long story short, Yukhei had managed to walk into the wrong dorm at the start of second year, and since the girl who had been living in the dorm at the time was undressing herself, she screamed and it led to Yukhei losing his visiting rights for a month.

Much to the security guards chagrin, Jungwoo managed to sneak out at night to get to the alpha building instead. Strangely enough, omega’s didn’t need a special card to visit the alpha building. But, not a lot of omega’s dared to go in there anyway.

‘’of course I wouldn’t, Jungwoo. I might be petty, but I’m not that bad.’’ Taeyong said. He threw his books to the floor with a loud thud, flipping his body over to lay his head in Jungwoo’s lap. Immediately, the other omega started petting his hair.

‘’I’m just worried about you, hyung.’’ said Jungwoo and Taeyong smiled.

‘’there’s no need to be worried about me. I’ll be fine.’’ Yukhei snorted at his words, and Taeyong frowned.

‘’what?’’

‘’You’re going into a pit of _alpha’s_ , as an unmated _omega._ ’’ Yukhei commented, and Taeyong rolled his eyes.

‘’sounds to me like you guys don’t trust me.’’ He huffed. He tried to lift his head from Jungwoo’s lap, but the younger stopped him from moving.

‘’we trust you, we don’t trust the alpha’s.’’ said Jungwoo, and Yukhei hummed in agreement.

‘’You know alpha’s can be vicious, no matter how much I hate saying it. We can be colossal dicks.’’ This time it was Jungwoo who made a noise of agreement, and Taeyong groaned.

‘’Most of them are old. They’ve probably found their soulmate, or mated,  already.’’ Taeyong retorted, and Jungwoo sighed.

‘’just, watch your back.’’

‘’when are you starting?’’ Yukhei stood up from the floor, patting his jeans. He gave Taeyong a questioning look.

‘’Next Monday.’’

‘’Fuck hyung! We need to buy more perfume.’’ Jungwoo shot up, effectively throwing Taeyong off of his lap.

‘’are you still on suppressants?’’ Yukhei asked, and Taeyong was the one who shot him a look this time. The truth is, Taeyong stopped taking suppressants after his first year of college. He felt uncomfortable blocking his biology out, and as much as he hated the heats and the amount of pheromones he sometimes spread, he didn’t want to use the medicine ever again.

‘’No, he stopped taking that in freshman year.’’ Jungwoo answered for him, and Taeyong grumbled.

‘’do they have dampers in buildings like that?’’ Jungwoo asked, turning his face to Taeyong. He shrugged, slightly panicked himself now. His friends had the habit of riling him up.

‘’How am I supposed to know?!’’ he yelped, his pupils wide.

‘’I mean,’’ Yukhei started, and both omega’s in the room turned to look at the alpha. ‘’going off of experience, since almost every employee is an alpha, I’m going to guess they do have them.’’ It wasn’t a secret that alpha’s often fought to show their dominance and power, often leading to many injuries and there have even been some occasions where two alpha’s challenged each other to a fight to the death.

‘’The gym has them too, to keep our pheromones away from each other.’’ Yukhei continued. Taeyong nodded at that, his heart rate slowing down the slightest bit. If the dampers were really in the building, his pheromones would be damped as well.

Physique wise he wouldn’t be able to lie and say he was an alpha, his scrawny legs and height giving it away, but he could get through his work placement as a beta.

‘’I could fake as a beta.’’ Jungwoo looked at Taeyong questioningly. ‘’I could tell people who asked that I’m a beta. It’s less ‘attractive’ to alpha’s, and the only person who would know my true biology would be the person who signed the contract.’’ The smaller omega elaborated, and Yukhei snapped his fingers.

‘’the only thing you’d have to do is make sure you leave the building by yourself every single day.’’ Taeyong nodded at that, ‘’that could work.’’ He looked at Jungwoo for confirmation, and the other omega nodded at his words.

‘’that could work. It puts my worries to ease at least a little bit.’’

‘’but, hyung, the moment an employee there even as much as _touches_ you without your permission, call me.’’ Taeyong laughed at Yukhei’s words, but nodded. ‘’thanks, xuxi. That means a lot.’’

Taeyong wasn’t completely save, he knew that. The danger of walking into a building full of alpha’s as an _unmated_ omega didn’t sound ideal, and to him it really wasn’t, but he couldn’t do anything about it. He forgot about the deadline, so he had to suffer the consequences.

‘’anyway, enough about me. Are you guys excited about your work placements?’’ even though Taeyong was older than both Yukhei and Jungwoo, the duo was in the same year as him.

It was a long story.

Yukhei had managed to get a spot at a local gym, while Jungwoo was the proud owner of an internship at one of Seoul’s top restaurants as intern cook.

‘’Hell yeah! I can’t wait to cook so many different meals and learn so much.’’ Jungwoo quickly fell into a ramble, excitedly talking about how, who and what he was going to work with. Taeyong, while listening, turned his head to look at Yukhei, who had sat down on the floor again. He looked at Jungwoo which such fond, loving eyes, that it almost made Taeyong cry.

He knew Yukhei loved Jungwoo to the end’s of the world, and even further if the younger could, and he knew that the feeling was mutual. Although they were soulmates, the first time they touched being a clear sign of that, Taeyong was sure they would have found each other even without being soulmates.

Soulmates found each other by touch. Not everyone had a soulmate, some people weren’t lucky enough to have someone destined for them. Yuta, Sicheng, Yukhei and Jungwoo were the only people Taeyong knew personally that had soulmates, and Taeyong was one hundred percent sure he didn’t have one.

People who had soulmates usually felt a presence, and after finding their soulmate that feeling would leave, because they had found that presence in a person. Taeyong didn’t have such a feeling, and he was okay with that.

Whenever he looked at Mark and Donghyuck, he was reminded again and again that you didn’t need to have a soulmate to find true love.

He just wondered when he was going to have that, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> links:  
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	3. Chapter 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!
> 
> welcome back to a new chapter! i'm currently in the process of moving. i also hope this isn't too angsty. i started writing this last weekend and i wasn't feeling the best. i finished it on monday, which was also a rough day for me, but we're all good now! i'm proud of this chapter though, so i hope you will enjoy it. 
> 
> them meeting is almost here ^^ are u excited??  
> thanks so much for reading, ily
> 
> x D.

Sometimes Taeyong had his nights. He’d have his nights where he would stare at the ceiling and not fall asleep, his mind filled with worries and thoughts. He’d have his nights where all he thought about was his future, and how he had effectively ruined it. How everything would never be okay. How everything was ruined from the moment he had been born.

As Taeyong walked toward campus from the bar, he couldn’t afford a bus ticket since his rent had been due a couple days earlier, the same darkness overtook his features. He started walking slower, his head clouded with thoughts and tears starting to form in his eyes.

He thought about the smiles his friends all wore. About how, even though they had the same amount of work as Taeyong did, they all seemed so _content._ They all seemed happy, hard working and normally stressed like any regular college student. It was a stark difference from how Taeyong felt most of the time.

He felt exhaustion, a weight on his chest that just _wouldn’t_ leave, no matter how hard he tried. He felt worry, his future in utter shambles from the second he was born. He felt stress, his school work piling up, while balancing his jobs. Taeyong watched his grades drop, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He felt this constant feeling of sorrow, the bleakness sinking into in his bones and adding up to the exhaustion that had him in their shackles.

Taeyong kicked at a pebble, watching it bounce away from him. He grimaced, tears threatening to spill.

He was defenceless. He had been defenceless from the beginning, while life was ruthless and merciless, not relenting even for a second.

Taeyong was broken out of his thoughts as his phone buzzed. He fumbled for it, answering without checking who the caller ID was.

‘’ _Hyung_?’’ Taeyong smiled sadly as Jungwoo’s voice filled his ears. He itched his nose, continuing to walk. About five more minutes of walking and he’d be on campus.

‘’Hi Jungwoo.’’ He answered, and he could hear the other exhale.

‘’ _Are you okay_?’’ Jungwoo knew. Of course Jungwoo knew that when Taeyong’s mind wandered, he did too. Jungwoo had experienced his fair share of moments of finding Taeyong sat on a park bench at four in the morning, the older male completely paralyzed by pure worry and fear.

‘’Yeah, I’m fine. I’m three minutes away from the gate.’’ He answered, and he could hear some shuffling in the background of Jungwoo’s breathing.

‘’ _Yuta-hyung is coming to pick you up from the gate._ ’’ Taeyong frowned. Why was Yuta at Jungwoo’s dorm at three thirty in the morning.

‘’why? What are you guys doing?’’ a certain feeling that Taeyong knew all too well spread through his system, and he hated the jealousy. He wanted to be able to hang out with his friends on a Saturday night, he wanted to laugh, drink and enjoy his time. Instead, he was stuck serving drunk students and adults.

‘’ _Yuta-hyung and Sicheng-hyung and I came over to Doyoung-hyung and Jaehyun-hyung. Everyone is here._ ’’ The feeling in his chest grew, spreading through his veins and making his feet heavy. Taeyong gritted his teeth, quickly wiping away the tears pooling his eyes and taking a shaky breath.

‘’alright.’’ Taeyong knew better than to protest. He knew an omega walking down the street in the dark at three thirty in the morning wasn’t the best situation to be in, but he couldn’t care less at this point.

‘’ _Yuta-hyung just walked out the door. We’re in Doyoung-hyung’s dorm, by the way._ ’’ Taeyong could have seen that coming. Doyoung lived in the alpha dorms, a territory all biological genders were allowed without passes. The group usually switched between Yuta and Jaehyun’s dorm, Yukhei’s dorm or Doyoung’s.

‘’I’m at the gate.’’ Taeyong said, halting his step as he approached the gate. He knew Yuta would need to walk at least five minutes, so he leant against the wall while listening to Jungwoo’s soft breathing.

‘’ _are you nervous for Monday, hyung?_ ’’ of course. Of course, Jungwoo, of all people Taeyong knew, would ask that question. He wanted to scream, because yes, he was incredibly nervous and _so not ready,_ but he couldn’t tell Jungwoo that. He couldn’t let the younger know that he was even remotely terrified.

He was going into a pit of _alphas_ , for fucks sake. Of course he was nervous. And, not an unimportant aspect to forget, the CEO’s of the company that he had met weren’t all that friendly. Except for the older one, but the one with the sharp eyes and the intimidating gaze scared Taeyong to his very core.

‘’a little, but I’ll be fine.’’ Taeyong decided to answer. It was safe, not too fragile, not too honest but not too vague for Jungwoo. He listened for the younger’s response, and was met with a sigh.

‘’ _of course, hyung. You always say that._ ’’ Taeyong smiled at that, because yeah, he did always say that.

Taeyong spotted Yuta walking towards him, and hung up on Jungwoo with the promise to come by before leaving for their own dorm. Yuta hugged him, wrapping his arms around Taeyong as a greeting. The omega in him keens at the touch of an alpha, but the human just smiles.

‘’How was work?’’ The younger asked as they walked next to each other, on their way towards the alpha building. Taeyong snorted, shaking his head. He yawned, making Yuta look at him with concern. Taeyong waved him off, before opening his mouth.

‘’Baekhyun-hyung couldn’t stop talking about his new man. The one that triggered his heat like three weeks ago when I had to fill in for him. on top of that, Yixing-hyung couldn’t stop whining because his mate isn’t in town this week.’’ Taeyong rambled, frustration clear in his words.

He liked his colleagues, he really did. But, the feeling of envy and jealousy got the best of him at most times, and listening to them ramble about their significant others was an exercise he didn’t want to perform sometimes.

‘’Long distance third wheeling, huh?’’ Taeyong nodded at Yuta’s words, and he felt the need to cry again. Yuta had never understood. He had never understood Taeyong’s fear of never being loved, never finding someone, because he had always had the assurance that he would find his soulmate one day.

The only person who could have understood Taeyong was Doyoung, but he had always been quick to get into relationships, being a beta making everything just a tiny bit easier.

So naturally, just like with everything else happening in his life, Taeyong had no one he could talk to about it that one hundred percent understood what he was thinking, going through and fearing.

‘’Yup.’’ Taeyong popped the p just as they walked into the alpha building. Immediately, Taeyong was hit with at least twenty different scents, his senses flaring and his eyes widening just from the faint presence of alphas he wasn’t familiar with.

It happened every single time Taeyong walked into that damn building, and he hated it.

Yuta was quick to wrap an arm around Taeyong, and as they walked through the threshold of the actual building, not just the tiny entrance hall, the dampers in the building started taking their effect. Taeyong felt like he could breath again, and he shuffled Yuta off.

He wondered how people coped in the times where dampers weren’t invented yet.

‘’wouldn’t want Sicheng to get mad at me, again.’’ Yuta chuckled at that, and motioned for Taeyong to continue walking.

 

Even though Taeyong had two essays to finish, his Statistics homework thrown somewhere across the dorm and his media assignment pulled up on his laptop, the boy sat on the floor, a sketch book opened on an unfinished sketch on his left and three fashion magazines opened on his right.

A whiteboard, decorated with new fashion items cut out of said magazines was placed in his lap, and a smile adorned his features as he scribbled little notes on post-it’s, delicately sticking them next to the fashion item he was commenting on.

It was therapeutic, his mind filled with new belts, pants, shirts and blouses instead of work, school and social expectations.

It was a bubble he didn’t get to enter often. His days usually consisted of running around, trying to manage everything and everyone around him, no place in his mind for what he really wanted to do: fashion.

Taeyong put down the pen and reached for his notebook, a sudden wave of inspiration hitting him so hard he had to sketch it down.

It was small, sophisticated, but Taeyong loved it. A small bracelet, a slim silver band with the tiniest of a Fire Agate, a beautiful soft red and orange crystal serving as protection, placed in the middle.

Taeyong usually drew or sketched clothes. From blouses, to skirts and back. Accessories such as bags were also a frequented drawing, but jewellery was rare.

This bracelet was his first, actually.

‘’Hyung?’’ Taeyong’s bubble didn’t quite pop, but it grew to let Jungwoo in. He nodded, his b4 pencil still in his right hand, but his gaze now on his roommate.

‘’What are you designing?’’ Jungwoo was holding a book with some vegetables on the front, and Taeyong _guessed_ it was for his nutrition class, but he had it closed, his thumb in between the pages he was reading a few moments prior.

Taeyong smiled, shaking his head before dropping his gaze back down. This bracelet was going to be his little secret. Usually, he shared his designs with Jungwoo, Taeyong’s side of the room decorated with some of his own drawings even, but he didn’t feel like sharing this one.

‘’that’s a secret.’’ Jungwoo chuckled at that, but nodded.

‘’alright. I’m going to get ready for bed.’’ Taeyong’s head shot up, grabbing his phone. He turned it on, ignoring the group chat and other notifications he had received to look at the time. He sighed, his bubble time was officially over.

He nodded at Jungwoo, who stood up to retrieve his toiletries to head to the bathroom across the hall, and started to clean up around him.

The nerves for his first day at SeoKim started kicking in as Taeyong put the old magazines back in his desk drawer, placing his notebook atop of it. He hung the whiteboard back on it’s spot on the wall, and he sighed.

The bubble popped.

 

The subway was significantly more crowded in the mornings, Taeyong realized. He was forced to stand up to make room for a pregnant lady just a few moments prior, and he was already ready to get out of the train.

Lucky for him, or not, SeoKim’s building was located far into the city. At least an hour trip by subway, and it had only been thirty minutes. He scanned the carriage, watching as four girls dressed in school uniforms stood a few feet away from him, giggling about something on one of their phones.

Taeyong fumbled with his jacket, an old hand-me-down from Jungwoo he had borrowed, pulling on a loose string. It had been chaos in his dorm that morning. Jungwoo had been running around to get himself ready, but also make sure Taeyong was okay.

Taeyong chose both of their outfits, Jungwoo a little more casual than him. Taeyong was wearing a sophisticated pair of black jeans, a blue and black flannel neatly tucked into his jeans and buttoned up to the top. According to Jungwoo, he’d look better than seventy percent of the business men in the building.

As Taeyong’s sexually frustrated mind took over for a split second, he had commented he fiercely doubted that. Jungwoo had chucked a book at the older, but had laughed with him still.

Taeyong got out of the subway thirty minutes later, his legs taking him out of the station. He checked his phone for the address once more. He pocketed the device after double checking and looked up again, whipping his head around.

He clutched the strap of his somewhat fancier backpack than the one he used for college, and started walking down the street. He fidgeted with the silver bracelet on his wrist, his nerves getting the better of him.

The pheromones of the people on the streets sent Taeyong’s head reeling for a split second, his body getting used to them fairly quickly. He walked on, his steps firm and face determined. He stopped walking, eyeing the huge building across the street from where he was now standing on the sidewalk, and he sighed.

The SeoKim building was grey, windows lining the outer walls. You could see workers walk around, men and female alike scurrying across the different floors with paperwork in their hands. The building looked intimidating, to say the least. It loomed over the other buildings, and Taeyong felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought of walking in there, a pit full of alphas ready to watch him every move for the next six months.

Taeyong sighed. He could do this. He could pretend to be a beta. He could walk around with confidence. He knew he was a hard worker, and he was ready to show the adults in the world that he wasn’t just an _omega_. He was Lee Taeyong, he could do anything.

Taeyong shook his head, a smile playing on his face as he remembered Yuta’s words from the night before. He walked across the street after the light turned green and skipped over to the main entrance of the building.

He stopped, sighed for the last time, and entered the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> links:  
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	4. Chapter 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!
> 
> First of all, let me apologize for updating this so late. I have been moving houses ever since Friday, and it's taking quite a bit of time to get settled. We were busy all Saturday and Sunday, but I managed to write a chapter in between chaos that I'm quite satisfied with. I hope you'll enjoy, even though it's late, and the next one will be on the regular time, don't you worry! 
> 
> I love you all! hope you enjoy :)
> 
> x D.

The first thing Taeyong noticed when he walked inside, was the fact that it was completely scentless. There were no stray scents of alpha’s or beta’s alike, and it calmed him down significantly. This meant that dampers were present, and he wouldn’t have to worry about his scent, for now.

The lobby was decorated in modern fashion, sleek white floors and white walls, black leather couches forming a sitting area with a coffee machine. Three elevators adorned the left wall, people in suits coming in and out of the lobby. There was a desk, which Taeyong guessed he was supposed to check himself in, so he walked over to it. There was a subtle hint of greenery all over the place, and Taeyong could spot someone watering the plants in the right corner of the lobby.

‘’Hi, can I help you?’’ Taeyong stopped in front of the desk, and nodded at the lady seated in front of him. He had no hint on what biological gender she had, but seeing as she looked more like an omega than an alpha physically, he guessed she was a beta. She smiled at him, tucking one stray strand of hair behind her ear.

‘’I’m Lee Taeyong? I’m supposed to start as an intern today.’’ The woman her eyes narrowed at that, and Taeyong noticed her giving him a one eye over before she turned to her computer next to her. She typed something in in rapid speed, before pursing her lips and nodding.

‘’Mr. Kim will be here to pick you up shortly. You can sit and wait on the couches over there.’’ She said, her smile not faltering. Taeyong turned his head to look at the couches, which didn’t seem all that comfy, but he nodded nonetheless.

As he walked over to the couches, he could feel eyes on him. Taeyong turned his head swiftly, subtly checking to see whether or not people were staring at him. He spotted two tall men, seemingly around their forties, looking at him as they seemed to wait for the elevator.

Taeyong shivered and turned away, squaring his shoulders to seem more broad. It was universally known that omega’s were tiny, some even petite, and Taeyong fit that description perfectly. It really wasn’t a good thing for him at the moment. Normally, he wouldn’t be ashamed of being an omega, but right now in a building filled with alpha’s and beta’s, he kind of was.

He was so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard footsteps approaching. ‘’Lee Taeyong?’’ Taeyong jumped up from the couch in a haste and turned around. The man in front of him was gorgeous, Taeyong thought. Sun kissed skin that looked almost bronze like, beautiful brown eyes and his blonde hair swept in a subtle quiff.

If everyone working here was going to be this attractive, Taeyong was going to have a big problem.

He instantly knew the other was an alpha. The way the man carried himself, stood in front of Taeyong in such a way that _screamed_ power and dominance made Taeyong shiver in his place.

‘’Yes, that’s me.’’ He managed to choke out, and the other man smiled at him.

‘’I’m Kim Jongin, nice to meet you. I work for the media department and I will be your supervisor for the next six months.’’ All Taeyong could do was nod and listen as Jongin led him to the elevators. The older man continued, ‘’I’ll bring you straight to the media department and show you your desk. After that, I’ll give you a short tour of the building and then we’ll get to work.’’ Once again, Taeyong didn’t feel like it was his place to speak, and quite frankly he was still extremely intimidated, so he just nodded.

‘’The media department is on the sixteenth floor. We have way too many departments and other businesses under the name of our CEO’s that have their main offices here, so I’m just going to show you the floors that you might need to use.’’ The doors closed as Jongin’s sentence trailed off, and Taeyong looked around the elevator.

One side was decorated with a window, giving a perfect view of the buildings and people outside. ‘’wow.’’ The word had left Taeyong’s mouth before he could stop it, and he stiffened slightly as Jongin turned around, too. He heard the older male chuckle, and Taeyong relaxed his shoulders a bit.

‘’you get used to the view when you see it every day.’’ The alpha commented. Taeyong could never get used to a view like that.

Taeyong eyed the outside world as the elevator shot up, a familiar ‘ding’ noise signalizing they had arrived at their destination. Taeyong turned around as the doors opened, and followed Jongin out onto the work floor.

Taeyong had seen his fair share of movies about people working in offices. Television shows and skits were also a big help, but nothing could have prepared him for what the media department was like. Usually, at least what Taeyong thought an office was like, you’d walk from the elevator into a lobby, or at least a hallway, effectively bordering it from the work floor.

This wasn’t the case. Taeyong and Jongin walked straight onto the work floor, Taeyong almost walking into a taller male who was walking by. He stopped in his tracks when Jongin did, and smiled at the older when he looked at Taeyong with a similar smile on his features.

 ‘’welcome to the media department.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened. This was the entire floor? Desks were neatly placed around the acreage of the floor, people seated behind computers and laptops furiously typing away. Huge television screens were hung on the wall, different channels from all around the world displaying different commercials.

What Taeyong guessed to be meeting rooms were cornered into one area of the room, the only thing separating them from the _utter_ chaos being glass walls. He could spot four people yelling at each other, two males and two females, in one meeting room, a presentation displayed on the digital board in the back. Most of the desks were separated by generic cubicle walls, but some stood out in the open, some people even seated on bean bags close to the television area.

‘’is it always like this?’’ Taeyong asked, his voice wavering. Jongin turned again to look at him and nodded. He let out a chuckle, ‘’we have to keep up with everything from all around the world. SeoKim isn’t _just_ computer software and IT anymore. We invested in hotel branches, restaurant chains, clothing stores and many other things. We, ‘’ Jongin spread his arms, gesturing to the entirety of the department,

‘’have to take care of all of that marketing wise. We design, produce and monitor commercials. We provide pre written articles for newspapers and websites _and_ we keep scandals out of the media.’’ Taeyong raised his eyebrows. Truth be told, he had done his fair share of research on the company and knew it wasn’t just IT business anymore, but this seemed like way more than he had prepared himself for.

Besides, scandals?

 ‘’do you have those a lot?’’ they started walking again, Jongin easily manoeuvring between the desks and office workers while Taeyong clumsily followed.

‘’Hm?’’ Jongin asked, turning back around to walk straight ahead this time. He greeted some office workers, and Taeyong noticed that most of the people working for the Media department were young. He hadn’t spotted one person who looked above the age of thirty-five on the floor. He guessed the older men from the lobby weren’t in this department, and a wave of relief hit him.

‘’Scandals? I mean, do you get a lot of scandals?’’ Jongin snorted at that, shaking his head. For a second Taeyong felt his heart fall through his ass onto the floor, his hands becoming clammy. Had he said something wrong? Was he out of line?

Jongin seemed to notice Taeyong’s distress, because he quickly put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. ‘’Don’t worry, you can ask these questions. And to answer your question, we get some scandals here and there. Nothing we can’t handle.’’ Jongin’s smile was kind and Taeyong noticed himself relaxing within a split second.

He nodded, and followed Jongin along to an empty desk. ‘’this will be your desk. Feel free to decorate it how you like, and if you’re not sure whether or not it’s allowed, please ask. My desk is right there,’’ Jongin pointed to a desk right in front of Taeyong’s, ‘’and that way I’ll be supervising you for the next six months. Any questions so far?’’ Taeyong shook his head, instead narrowed his eyes to take a look at Jongin’s desk.

The cubicle walls were decorated with pictures of Jongin with a smaller looking male. Some of the pictures were of a little boy alone, and others what seemed to be family pictures. The desk itself was littered with post it notes, files and a laptop stood open on the desk, a computer right next to it.

‘’Is that your mate?’’ The question left Taeyong’s mouth before he could stop it, and Jongin smiled as he nodded. ‘’Yeah, his name’s Kyungsoo. And that right there,’’ Jongin pointed at one of the pictures of a little boy, his black hair neatly combed into a tiny quiff and little hands clutching a toy. Taeyong felt himself starting to smile just looking at the picture.

‘’is our little pup, Jisung. He just turned two.’’ Taeyong smiled at Jongin and felt his omega heart surge for a pup of his own. It was natural instinct, an omega wanting a pup, but he willed it down. He wasn’t able to take care of himself, let alone a little pup.

‘’he’s adorable.’’ Jongin beamed at Taeyong, like the proud father he probably was, and they continued on walking. ‘’the only person who has a separate office in this department is our president of department, Lu Amber. You’ll meet her today, probably.’’

Jongin stopped walking as they walked onto a different type of flooring, going from hardwood floors to carpet. The televisions were hung up in this area, and while the volume was turned off for most tv’s, Taeyong felt bad for the eight people seated in the bean bags who were looking at the televisions with Ipads in hand.

‘’This is where we go to monitor commercials. We know when they’ll be on which channels, so we have certain people camping out here to monitor them and critique them. Usually it’s about fifteen people, but because it’s so early, right now it’s only eight.’’ Taeyong couldn’t imagine having to watch commercials for a living. He almost cried thinking about it.

‘’We’ll go back into the elevators and I’ll show you the cafeteria next.’’

 

Taeyong sighed as he sat down in his desk chair. Jongin had taken him to three different floors after showing him the media department. There was the basement, where you could get prototypes of posters printed, the twentieth floor which housed the cafeteria and then the fifteenth floor, which housed another department, and had bathrooms. The bathrooms were the most important, according to Jongin, and although Taeyong was very curious to learn more about SeoKim and its seemingly gigantic network of small companies and the likes, Taeyong stuck with the bathrooms for now.

‘’So, your work will mostly consist o-‘’ Jongin’s words got interrupted by the shrill ringtone of his phone, and the older excused himself before walking away.

Taeyong turned his head to look around the department, and his eyes fell onto the huge windows on his left. His desk was fairly close to them, so it was easy to peek outside.

When he was younger, Taeyong used to fantasize about having his own skyscraper, with his own company name on it. One day when his school went on a field trip to a museum in Seoul, he had watched in awe as the huge buildings towered over him and his classmates. He used to fantasize with Yuta, about how they’d set up a clothing brand/magazine together and rule the world.

Their walks home from school consisted of making plans for the future, and over time, they changed. As they both got older, plans changed. Yuta didn’t want to be a journalist anymore, he wanted to do something with his knowledge in biology. Taeyong realized his dreams weren’t achievable for someone like him, and he changed it to dreaming about working at a well known fashion magazine or brand instead.

Yuta had given him his first ever fashion magazine on one of those walks home. They were in their first year of high school at the time, and sadly weren’t in the same class. And as much as they both hated not being able to see each other during class, lunch and the walks home were enough.

They had almost arrived at Taeyong’s end destination, when Yuta pulled the Autumn volume for Vogue out of his backpack. Taeyong had gasped and hugged his best friend, because that was the best gift someone had ever gotten him in his life.

Continuing their walk home, they read the magazine together. Taeyong fawned over the beautiful dresses, the gorgeous sweaters and the amazing fabric that was used.

After Yuta had dropped Taeyong off at the orphanage, Taeyong rushed upstairs into the room he shared with four other orphan boys, and continued on reading.

It had been one of the best days of his life, and to this day, that same volume still rested on the bottom of one of his drawers, neatly protected by a plastic case.

‘’Hey I’m sorry, that was Kyungsoo.’’ Taeyong was pulled out of his thoughts by Jongin’s voice, and he turned his head away from the window to look at the older. ‘’that’s okay.’’ Jongin smiled. He leant against the side of Taeyong’s desk, his gaze focusing on Taeyong.

‘’is something wrong?’’ Taeyong asked, feeling quite uncomfortable with the way Jongin was staring at him. Jongin shook his head, ‘’tell me a bit about yourself. I want to get to know you, because if we’re going to be working together for six months, I want to know who I’m working with.’’ Jongin’s words were friendly, the ever staying smile on his face not faltering once.

Taeyong liked him.

‘’Well, my name is Lee Taeyong. I’m twenty three and in my third year of college.’’ Jongin looked at him for a second before chuckling. ‘’that can’t be all, can it? What do you do after school? Do you have hobbies? What’s your family like?’’ Taeyong frowned at that, not really ready to share that much, but if he had learned anything from the man standing right in front of him in the four hours that Taeyong had been here, it was that Jongin didn’t back down until he had what he wanted.

So, Taeyong gave in. ‘’After school I mostly work, or hang out with friends if I get the time. My biggest hobby would have to be designing and learning about fashion.’’ Jongin hummed, something Taeyong sensed to be of appreciation, and he relaxed a bit in his seat.

‘’where do you work? At a café or a bar or something?’’

‘’Both, actually. And the student library.’’ Jongin raised his eyebrows, confusion clear on his face. It almost made Taeyong laugh, because that’s the reaction he usually gets whenever he talks about his jobs. He’s fully aware that his workload is more than the average college student would do, but he has to keep himself above water.

‘’that many? Wow.’’ Taeyong nodded and shot a smile Jongin’s way. ‘’I remember when I was in college I didn’t even _have_ a job, y’know? I just fucked around a lot.’’ Taeyong snorted, jealousy forming in his chest because that was what college students were supposed to do.

And he just couldn’t.

‘’anyway, what I was saying before Kyungsoo-hyung oh so lovely interrupted our conversation to say that I’m supposed to pick up Jisung at my mom’s place today, your workload.’’ Jongin stood up straight again and Taeyong followed him with his eyes to his own desk, straightening his position to sit right in front of Jongin as he sat down, too.

‘’You’re going to be my assistant, so to speak. SeoKim doesn’t really do work placements all that much, so most of us aren’t really sure what to do the first day either. But! Your professor put in a good word for you -if I have to believe Amber’s words, that is- and so here we are.’’ Professor Lee had put a good word in for Taeyong?

Taeyong reminded himself of the words professor Lee had spoken to him three weeks ago – _‘’I’ll try to find you something good._ ’’- but he wasn’t expecting his professor to put in a good word for him, mostly just hoping he wouldn’t be send someplace where journalism wasn’t even an option.

He was grateful, to say the least.

‘’You’ll be helping me, mostly, since I’m chief editor of this area,’’ Jongin gestured to the desks around them. They all seemed pretty focused on work, but they looked like they were having fun. Taeyong was starting to get excited himself.

‘’writing articles, editing the ones from others, fixing up websites, writing social media posts -the whole package, really-. And since your hobby is fashion, I’ll try to give you some stuff related to our clothing line investments from time to time.’’ Jongin winked at Taeyong, and Taeyong smiled at him. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on some articles about SeoKim’s investments.

‘’In about two weeks we have a meeting scheduled with the CEO’s Mr. Kim and Mr. Seo, to inform them of our plans for the next quarter of the year as a department. Every department does it -which, I don’t know how they do it because there’s a _lot_ \- and I usually do them with Lee Jooheon -another editor here, you’ll meet him soon- and the president of the department, but since you’re here, you’ll be there too, just to take notes and stuff like that.’’

Taeyong’s eyes widened at the thought of being in the same room as the man he had met in the café, but this time in such close quarters. He remembered the way his body reacted to the man his pheromones, even with the dampers on in the café, and he remembered how his scent had stuck to Taeyong for days on end. He wasn’t sure whether or not he was ready to see the CEO again, or ever for that matter.

Instead of voicing those thoughts to a person he had just met four hours ago, Taeyong just nodded. ‘’that sounds pretty cool to me.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have a nice day everyone! :)
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	5. Chapter 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy :)

Taeyong was sure he had never looked more ridiculous in his life. Running down the street toward the office building, the outfit Jungwoo had put together for him messily in its place and his hair tousled all over the place. He could feel eyes on him as he ran down the street, his tired eyes scanning the streets for cars and potential obstacles. 

He had rushed home from the bar, thirty minutes later than what he wanted, and gotten back to the dorm to a neatly folded outfit and a note from his roommate to have a fun day. Taeyong hadn’t even had the time to text Jungwoo a thank you before he had gotten onto the train, a good twenty minutes behind schedule, and while he caught his breath stood on the train, he bolted as soon as the doors opened at the correct station.

Being late was one of Taeyong’s pet peeves, and he always tried to be on time wherever he went. Being late for his second work day wasn’t exactly what he wanted. It wasn’t an ideal situation, and Taeyong hoped Jongin would be somewhat forgiving.

He rushed into the building a moment later, receiving weird looks from people around him as he bolted to the elevator and pushed the button. To his luck, the doors slid open almost immediately and Taeyong rushed inside, leaning against the wall as the doors closed again. He heaved a breath, trying to fill his lungs with much needed oxygen until the doors slid open again, and he was met with the chaos of the media department.

Taeyong hadn’t even set three steps onto the work floor, finally straightening his tie -after rambling about the handsome men in suits to Jungwoo yesterday night, his roommate took the curtesy to prepare a somewhat business look for Taeyong instead of a trendy look-, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

‘’You’re late.’’ Jongin’s voice wasn’t mean, it wasn’t condescending, and Taeyong allowed himself to relax the slightest bit.

‘’I’m sorry, Mr. Kim.’’ He muttered, almost following his instinct to submissively bow his head, but correcting himself after remembering he was supposed to be a beta.

‘’It’s fine, as long as it doesn’t happen every day. I’ve had people walking in three hours late.’’ Jongin shrugged it off as if it was nothing, and Taeyong eyed him weirdly for a second before they both made their way to their desks.

What had been empty at first, was now occupied with a brand new computer on Taeyong’s desk. He gasped, sitting down and touching the keyboard. He was always used to hand me downs, second hand technology. A brand new computer was amazing.

Taeyong stopped smiling as he noticed Jongin looking at him. instead, he draped his jacket over his desk chair and turned to look at Jongin.

‘’what’s your reason?’’ the older asked, sitting down in his chair. Taeyong raised his eyebrows.

‘’for what?’’

Jongin snorted, shaking his head. ‘’for being late.’’ Taeyong blushed a soft red, he should have thought of that before responding in such a dumb manner.

‘’it was work.’’ He mumbled, following Jongin’s movements to turn on his own computer. It booted up fast, displaying a generic background screen with a log-in screen.

‘’you work in the morning?’’ Jongin asked, and Taeyong hated the worry laced in the elders voice.  He didn’t need pity, nor worry.

‘’yeah, something like that.’’ Not wanting to say anything more about it, Taeyong cut off the conversation with a smile.

‘’alright, well your log-in code can be found on the post it note on your wall, if I’m correct. Customize your computer to your own needs along the way. There’s an email in your mailbox with your first assignment.’’ Taeyong nodded at Jongin’s words, eagerly typing in his information.

Another generic background screen popped up, this time displaying a normal desktop setting. Taeyong opened up his email, eager to start, and he clicked on the email he had received from Jongin.

‘’good luck.’’ Jongin said, turning in his chair to start his own work. Taeyong muttered a thanks before fully turning to his work, easily getting emerged in the jumble of words and information as he wrote.

 

It hadn’t even been three hours until a blonde man rushed to Jongin’s desk. Taeyong had just walked toward the coffee machine across the floor, resulting him taking a two minute break from wracking his brain on how to properly word a piece for a website Taeyong assumed to be for a hotel. He pretended to work, fake typing into the document he was working as he eaves dropped.

‘’Amber-noona wants to speak to us. She said it was an emergency.’’ Taeyong raised his eyebrows as Jongin stood up, dropping whatever he was working on and stepping away from his desk. ‘’alright Jooheon, let’s go.’’

Jongin seemed to barely remember Taeyong was there, because he turned around and his eyes widened in realization, before motioning for Taeyong to get up. He did so after saving his work, following the two men toward the only office door on the floor.

‘’Alright so, there’s an emergency meeting right now in Lu Amber’s office -I guess you’ll meet her today- about something one of our CEO’s did. That’s what an emergency meeting means.’’ Taeyong nodded at Jongin’s words, and Jooheon scoffed as he walked in front of them.

‘’It’s always Mr. Seo. Mr. Kim does absolutely jack shit. Well, nothing that can be considered a scandal of some sort, any way.’’ At the mention of Mr. Seo, Taeyong felt his face heat up. The simple memory of the man’s scent and face fresh in his mind, even though they met almost a month ago.

Jongin chuckled at Jooheon’s words. ‘’Sehun keeps him in check, that’s why.’’ At the mention of a new name, Taeyong perked up.

‘’who’s that?’’ they stopped walking, having reached Amber’s office. Jooheon turned around with a grin on his face, his dimples making him less threatening and more of a teddy bear. Taeyong was sure he was a beta.

‘’That’s Mr. Kim’s mate, Oh Sehun. He visits sometimes.’’ Mr. Kim was mated, which meant the strong scent Taeyong had smelled in the café was definitely Mr. Seo’s. it was both comforting and unsettling to know for sure, but Taeyong shrugged it off.

Jooheon swung the door open, and they walked into the office. Taeyong gaped. It was messy, messier than what would be expected of a president of department. Little trinkets were left around the room, the shelves and bookcases overflowing with decorations and books. Files were placed on the desk, and what Taeyong assumed to be Amber was pacing around the room.

‘’great! You guys are here! We have an emergency.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at the rushed tone she spoke in. This seemed to be a very bad emergency. ‘’what did he do now?’’ Jooheon seemed fairly calm as he sat down on one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. Jongin sat down too, and motioned for Taeyong to sit down as well.

He listened, taking a spot on the armrest of Jongin’s chair. Amber sighed and rubbed her face, before looking at them. Her eyes widened as she saw Taeyong, and he shyly waved.

‘’oh fuck me! You’re the new intern! Hello, I’m Lu Amber. Call me Amber-noona and we’re good.’’ Taeyong gaped at the woman seated at the desk but nodded. Surprised at the casual manner she greeted him, he introduced himself.

‘’I’m Lee Tae-‘’

‘’I know your name, Lee Taeyong. Very nice name, might I add.’’ Amber interrupted him and took a sip of the drink in her mug, and Taeyong was a _firm_ believer that there was more than coffee in that mug.

‘’anyway, the emergency at hand.’’ She turned back toward Jongin and Jooheon like the interaction never happened. She crossed her arms and leant on the desk, eyeing the two.

‘’Mr. Seo was seen with his cousin in Hong Kong this morning. The Chinese gossip magazines took it upon themselves to construct the situation into something else.’’

‘’Let me guess, girlfriend?’’ Jongin commented, and Amber shook her head. Taeyong was sure his input wasn’t needed in this situation, so he stayed silent as he listened.

Jongin mentioning the word girlfriend had a weird feeling spreading in Taeyong’s chest, and he frowned to himself. Mr. Seo having a girlfriend was perfectly acceptable, almost inevitable really, and he had no reason to even be remotely upset. Not being able to put a name on the feeling, Taeyong tried to push it off.

‘’that wouldn’t have been a scandal! That would have been a fucking miracle.’’ Amber stated, pointing her finger at Jongin, who laughed before shaking his head.

‘’Hook-up?’’ Amber snapped her fingers at Jooheon’s words, clapping her hands right after. ‘’I’m buying you your coffee tomorrow. Jongin, you gotta catch up.’’ Taeyong watched as the three adults in front of him bickered, and he giggled quietly as Jongin rolled his eyes.

The feeling in his chest returned forcefully at the mention of Mr. Seo hooking up with some random girl, and he wondered how many times the rumours had been true.  

‘’So, what’s the plan?’’ Amber shrugged at Jooheon’s question, and turned to Taeyong.

‘’what do you think would be good in this situation? Consider it part of your training.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at the question, almost slipping off the arm rest in shock. Why was she asking him this? He had only worked for one day?

‘’M-me?’’ Taeyong cursed himself for stuttering, but Amber didn’t seem to mind as she smiled and nodded. ‘’well, yeah. Who else?’’ Taeyong gulped, his eyes trying to find Jongin’s. The older only nodded as they made eye contact for a split second, and he hesitantly turned back to look at Amber.

‘’well.. it kind of depends on who’s writing the articles?’’ In his media class last year, they covered a similar topic. It wasn’t necessarily about covering up a scandal or a fake rumour, but about wording a certain situation in a particular way that would make people read the article. Using that logic in reverse could help.

‘’Mostly gossip magazines in that area. I’ve been alerted of some news YouTube channels making video’s about it, and as of five minutes ago the Korean tabloids have gotten a hold of it.’’ Taeyong gaped and he heard Jooheon snicker in the background. Desperate to prove his worth, he opened his mouth.

‘’Well, going off what I’ve been taught and my own experience when it comes to social media, I’d say to explain the situation briefly?’’ Amber seemed interested, to her credit, and Jongin placed a hand on Taeyong’s knee as if to tell him to continue.

‘’and what do you propose we do?’’ Taeyong closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought.

‘’does Mr. Seo have a twitter account? Or any other platform?’’

Jooheon shot up at that, nodding. ‘’he has twitter, doesn’t really use it though but he has some followers.’’ Taeyong nodded, turning back to Amber.

‘’Release an official statement regarding the rumours, but stay as vague as you can. Don’t release the identity of his cousin, just say it was a friend or something. This way, you’ll gain the publicity of the Chinese tabloids and you’ll clear up the situation. As for Mr. Seo himself, have him tweet some simple stuff, showing that he’s ‘ignoring’ the whole situation so to speak, brushing it off. That way, investors won’t be put off, or future clients.’’ It wasn’t much, and Taeyong was pretty sure this was the complete opposite of the answer to the whole situation, but he simple couldn’t think of much else to do.

Amber, Jongin and Jooheon looked at him with shocked expressions, and he cowered in his seat a bit before Amber clapped her hands together. ‘’that was the perfect answer. Absolutely perfect. Coffee for you too, tomorrow.’’ Taeyong gasped, a feeling of satisfaction and pride swelling up in his chest from the compliment.

He did something right for once.

 

The good events of the day came to a halt as Taeyong was seated behind his desk again, ten minutes before his shift ended, and Jongin walked up to him with a grin on his face.

‘’you did great today. The publicity did stay, but the rumours were cleared up.’’ Taeyong smiled at that, shutting off his computer in advance before fully turning to look at Jongin. The man looked like your typical office worker, suit and tie, his suit jacket draped over the back of his chair, but he somehow looked younger. Fresh. It was truly a miracle Taeyong was blessed with such an amazing supervisor.

‘’thanks. I’m glad it all worked out.’’

‘’that it did,’’ Jongin seemed uncomfortable for a bit, his smile making way for a nervous pout on his face. Taeyong frowned at that. This couldn’t possibly be any good.

‘’Can I ask you something?’’ Jongin’s facial expression turned friendly again, but Taeyong could feel the heaviness in his voice. He shivered slightly at the way Jongin was looking at him, but nodded.

‘’Y-yeah, go ahead.’’

‘’what’s,’’ Jongin paused for a second, as if looking for the right words. Taeyong shifted in his chair, bouncing his feet on the floor. He was nervous. ‘’what’s your status?’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened, his body going in lockdown for a second before he could comprehend the question he was just asked.

Telling Jongin meant telling the entire department, Taeyong was sure of it. Everyone knew the older alpha, for obvious reasons, and he seemed friendly with everyone. He also knew that the department loved a gossip -Taeyong knew, for some reason, how many cats a woman called Haeyun working for the sales department had. The exact number was eight- and if it came out that he was an omega, it would be the talk of the building.

Taeyong didn’t really like that idea. He dreaded it, really, and so he tried to casually shrug it off.

‘’I’m a beta.’’ Jongin’s eyes slightly widened at that, and Taeyong could see he didn’t one hundred percent believe him. He shivered as Jongin looked down on him from his standing position, his heart beating so fast in his chest he was scared the entire floor could hear it.

‘’alright.’’ Taeyong let out a sigh of relief as Jongin turned around, sitting down at his own desk. He was beyond relieved, his heart calming down for a bit. He felt bad for lying, sure, but the thought of being the only omega in the building that he knew of, wasn’t the greatest thing on the planet, and so he pushed the thought to the back of his head.

‘’you can go home now.’’

 

After finishing his shift at the café with Donghyuck, Taeyong returned to his room with heavy legs and drooping eyes. As he opened the door he was greeted with the smell of Chinese takeaway, and he took a deep breath, relishing in the delicious smell for a bit.

‘’Hyung! You’re back!’’ Jungwoo greeted him from his desk, quietly finishing up some work for his class on Thursday. He smiled at Taeyong, turning in his chair. Taeyong dropped his work bag on the floor, toeing off his shoes before walking into the room.

‘’do I smell take out? I thought you were a chef?’’ Taeyong stuck his tongue out at his best friend, who rolled his eyes and pointed at Taeyong’s desk. ‘’I ate at the restaurant an hour ago. Help yourself.’’

Taeyong muttered a thanks before making his way over to his closet, quickly changing into more comfortable clothing. He grabbed the Chinese take out box, discovering ramen, and he could feel his stomach growling.

‘’how was it today?’’ Jungwoo asked, turning in his chair to look at Taeyong. He was seated on his bed, legs crossed in the meditation position. He let his shoulders sag for the first time and looked at Jungwoo with sad eyes.

‘’My supervisor asked about my fucking status.’’ Jungwoo gasped and immediately flung himself across the room, taking a spot next to Taeyong and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Taeyong smiled as Jungwoo’s dull scent hit him for the first time, instantly bringing comfort to his state.

‘’what did you say?’’

‘’obviously, I said beta. He seemed like he didn’t believe it, though.’’ Jungwoo sighed, and Taeyong noticed a change in his pheromones. Worry radiated off of his best friend, and he smiled. He appreciated it. Jungwoo cared for him a lot, and Taeyong knew that. He’d be nowhere without Jungwoo or Yuta.

He ate in silence as Jungwoo rubbed his back, ridding it off the biggest knots. Taeyong stood up to throw away the empty box and sat back down, slouching against Jungwoo and closing his eyes. The younger started petting his hair, and he hummed appreciatively.

‘’how was your day, woo?’’ He asked after a few moments of silence.

‘’It was cool. I learned so many new things, and it’s only my second day. It’s pretty insane how fast they work in a kitchen like that-‘’ Taeyong sat and listened to his best friend ramble about his day, learning the ins and outs of a workday in a restaurants kitchen as Jungwoo talked enthusiastically, his hand motions halting in Taeyong’s hair to focus more on talking.

After Jungwoo stopped talking, a silence fell over the two. The moment got interrupted by Taeyong’s phone ringing, and Jungwoo snorted after looking at the caller ID. ‘’It’s Yuta-hyung.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes, a smile spreading across his cheeks.

‘’I’m going to get ready for bed.’’ Jungwoo got up from the bed and walked out of the room after grabbing his toiletries, and Taeyong answered the phone.

‘’ _Hey Tae! How was work?_ ’’

‘’You sound like an actual adult, Yuta.’’ Taeyong chuckled as he heard Sicheng’s giggle in the background, and he guessed Sicheng was in the alpha building.

‘’ _that’s because I am one, hyung._ ’’

‘’Says the one who tried to eat forty chicken nuggets three weeks ago.’’ Taeyong retorted, and Yuta sighed playfully.

‘’ _fine, fine. How was it, though?_ ’’ Taeyong sighed, fidgeting with the fabric of his sweater. He knew Yuta would freak if he told him what had happened, the other male protective of him ever since they were kids, so he shrugged.

‘’nothing much, we had a fake scandal to cover up.’’ Yuta snorted through the line.

‘’ _how does that even work?_ ’’

‘’Well, something happened with Mr. Seo and we had to release a statement with the truth. That was it.’’

‘’ _I studied one piece of bacteria for the entire day and you covered up a scandal, huh. The real world is weird._ ’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes at his best friends words, shaking his head.

‘’how were the bacteria?’’

The conversation went on like that for a while, Yuta telling stories about his day with Sicheng chipping in every once in a while. Sicheng then grabbed the phone to tell Taeyong about his own internship at a dance studio downtown, and Taeyong listened to his friends ramble to him.

Jungwoo came back into the room about ten minutes into the phone call, on the phone himself, and he guessed it was Yukhei by the gigantic smile plastered on the younger’s face. After Taeyong hung up, he got ready for bed and settled in for his first night of full rest in a few days, sighing as his head hit his pillow. 

It had been two eventful, very stressful days, and he knew it was only going to get worse from that point on. With the quarter meeting approaching, his jobs completely tiring him out and his school work piling up, Taeyong was sure he was about to collapse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyhey!
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I want to thank you guys for the lovely comments I get, they genuinely make my day!  
> I'm beyond grateful that people actually enjoy my stories, and I'm blessed to have you as my readers. 
> 
> See ya next week!
> 
> x D. 
> 
> find me!:  
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	6. Chapter 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)  
> i think this is the longest chapter i've written so far and from this point on they're only gonna get longer hehe

Taeyong felt uncomfortable.

Not the type of uncomfortable that rendered you speechless, made your skin crawl and your palms sweat. It was the type of uncomfortable that let him to look over his shoulder every other minute or so, afraid someone in the department would notice something different about him.

Ever since Jongin had asked the question about his status, Taeyong had been on edge. Whether it was during his normal classes on Thursdays and Fridays, his work shifts at the bar, library or café, or actually at the office,  it didn’t matter. He was on edge, trying to perfect the ways of being a beta.

The uncomfortableness bordered scared and anxious whenever an alpha of the department looked at Taeyong for longer than necessary, afraid that even with the hormonal dampers in place they would catch a whiff of Taeyong’s clearly omega scent.

Taeyong knew what he smelled like. While hanging out with Yuta and Doyoung, tipsy on cheap wine and the whisky deliciously burning their throats in its aftermath, he had asked the question. Biologically, you weren’t able to smell yourself. Only those around you were able to smell what your scent was, and Taeyong had always been curious what he smelled like.

According to Yuta, Doyoung unable to answer the question fully, he smelled like flower petals, a soft hint of sweet cinnamon and vanilla entering the mix. It hadn’t exactly been what Taeyong had expected, but he was pleased nonetheless when Doyoung just told him he smelled pleasant.

The uncomfortableness was almost a state of mind, at this point. Taeyong lived in it, the only time it wasn’t there in his dorm room, surrounded by omega pheromones and the sanctity of his own bedroom walls.

So, naturally, when Taeyong was seated at his desk, typing away on an article he had to edit for Jongin, his shoulders sagged with the uncomfortable feeling, he felt as if though all eyes were on him, but was proven wrong every time he turned around to see whether or not they actually were.

People were doing their jobs, and Taeyong almost felt selfish for thinking they were even sparing him a second glance. But, the subtle stares he received from some people on the floor, the soft touches of Jongin placing a hand on his shoulder and the way Jongin was almost protective over him -to the point Jongin almost _ordered_ Taeyong to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria- had Taeyong believe that everyone already knew of his status.

It didn’t settle well with him.

As Taeyong opened up his email in between editing two paragraphs, checking to see if Jongin or someone else on the floor had emailed him -sometimes he’d get emails from other people, asking him to edit their writing while they worked on something else. Jongin told him it was okay to do so, everyone knew he was the intern and that it was his job-  he noticed an email from Amber. That couldn’t be right.

‘’Hyung?’’ Jongin had told Taeyong to drop any other honorific, requesting him to just use hyung, and Taeyong was getting used to it. Jongin looked up from his computer, changing his point of attention from his computer screen to Taeyong with a smile.

‘’Amber-noona emailed me something. I think it was supposed to go to you.’’ Jongin frowned, clicking on something on his computer. Taeyong assumed it was to check his own mailbox. The elder shook his head seconds later.

‘’I didn’t receive anything. Just open it and see what it says.’’ Taeyong nodded, and did just that. As his eyes scanned over the text, he realized the email was indeed for himself, not for Jongin, and Amber was requesting to see him in his office before lunchtime.

Taeyong checked the small clock at the bottom of his screen and gasped as he read it to be almost lunch time. He turned back to Jongin, a frown etched into his features.

‘’She wants to see me in her office.’’ Jongin raised his eyebrows for a second, but seemed to realize why a split second later, his frown turning into a small reassuring smile. Taeyong felt the nerves bubble up to the surface, his shoulders and legs tensing as he wondered why Amber would want to see him in his office.

As he tried to recall anything he could have done wrong the last week of working here, he came up with two options. Either because he had been late last Tuesday, or because the piece he had written yesterday didn’t amount to her expectations. Before he could really let himself spiral, though, Jongin’s voice interrupted Taeyong.

‘’it’s nothing bad, don’t worry. Just go and see what she says.’’ Taeyong couldn’t relax at those words, no matter how much he tried. Jongin gave him an empathetic smile, his eyes laced with something else Taeyong could only translate to worry.

He wasn’t ready, but since it was almost lunch time, he stood up. He straightened his tie, the accessory now a standard asset to his outfit, nodded at Jongin and walked off toward the direction of Amber’s office.

He beelined for the coffee machine. Hoping that bringing her a cup of coffee might just help him in his favour, he put a mug under the machine and pressed the button. As he waited for the coffee to brew, he leant against the wall and scanned the work floor.

People were rapidly typing, speaking into their phones or watching the television screens. It wasn’t as chaotic as last week when he came in for the first time, people slowly leaving their desks abandoned for a well deserved lunch break, but Taeyong knew it would pick up later on.

He grabbed the mug filled with coffee with shaky hands and walked up to her office door with shaky legs. Taeyong sighed. He had to calm down. ‘’ _it’s nothing bad_ ,’’ with Jongin’s words in the back of his mind, he knocked on the door with his non occupied hand.

‘’Come in!’’ To Taeyong’s relief, it didn’t sound threatening or mad. It sounded perfectly calm, almost. But, he knew that Amber could be deceiving -if he had to believe Jongin’s stories, that is- and this could be the calm before the storm.

It wasn’t.

When Taeyong opened the door and bowed his head as a payment of respect, he noticed Amber casually sitting at her desk, a file displayed in front of her. She waved him in, and Taeyong gratefully took a step inside the room, closing the door behind him.

‘’I brought you coffee.’’ Amber’s face lit up, and Taeyong smiled at her as he put the mug down, taking a seat in the comfortable faux leather chair in front of the desk.

A silence fell over the two and Taeyong shifted under Amber’s stare. It wasn’t uncommon for females to be alpha’s, nowadays. Some of the women Taeyong had known in his life were alpha’s, and they were wonderful people.

Amber reminded him of one of the caretakers he grew up with at the orphanage. Haeyeon had been a nice lady, always kind and loving but strict whenever she had to be. Taeyong had always loved her and often still thought of her.

Taeyong knew Amber was an alpha from just looking at her, and the way the other employees treated her with respect. But, an alpha was an alpha, and no matter how high the dampers in the building were turned on, it didn’t help the fierce stare Amber held and Taeyong’s reaction to it as an omega.

‘’So, what I wanted to talk about with you today,’’ Amber started. She grabbed the coffee, stirring the spoon around in the mug with a comforting smile on her face. It calmed Taeyong down a bit, his previous anxieties slowly simmering down.

He shifted in his seat again, crossing his legs this time. ‘’One of our CEO’s, Mr. Seo, is returning to the office today after being gone for a week and a half. He was on a business trip to both Hong Kong and New York, representing the company on many different events and the like.’’

Taeyong had seen the pictures. The pictures of Mr. Seo clad in a suit at one event, wearing a button up and slacks at the other. He had looked absolutely ravishing in all of them, Taeyong’s weak little omega heart slowly starting to swoon for the older man’s looks. Pretending he wasn’t affected by the other man was utterly useless, and so he didn’t hide the look of interest directed toward Amber.

She smiled at him and itched a spot on her neck. ‘’why are you telling me this, noona?’’ Taeyong then asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He was just a regular employee, not even a paid one, so there shouldn’t be a special reason for Amber to tell him about this.

The smile on Amber’s face faltered slightly, and Taeyong felt his heart sink as she pushed the folder on her desk toward him. Taeyong leaned forward and scanned the first page, gasping as he realized it was his own folder.

His documentation and a copy of his ID card gaped back at him, and Taeyong was about ready to start crying as the words ‘ _omega_ ’ screamed at him from the page. He looked up again, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. He willed them away, trying to focus on the small mole Amber had right next to her eyebrow instead.

‘’The reason I’m telling you this is because Mr. Seo is old fashioned.’’ Taeyong scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion.

‘’What do you mean by old-fashioned?’’

‘’He does not really believe in the usage of products or technology to keep people’s biological gender out of sight. He prefers to have the dampers in the building turned off.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at that, his breath hitching at the thought of everyone finding out he was an omega. The anxiety that had sat at the pit of his stomach, softly simmering, rushed out and about into Taeyong’s entire body, his heart beat speeding up and his hands starting to sweat massively.

‘’This doesn’t mean we allow it. It is required by law, which not many people know about, for work and public places to have some sort of dampers installed, and have them turned on. Mr. Seo just prefers to have the effect turned down a lot, leaving little to the imagination.’’ Amber’s words hit Taeyong faintly, and he just nodded.

‘’I understand that you’re scared of what’s going to happen, but I assure you that we, Jongin, Jooheon and I, will do everything in our power to protect you from any harm that may come your way because of this. You got into this internship with a few loving words from your professor and us seeing that you have potential, and we’re not letting that get ruined by the simple fact that you are an omega.’’ Amber sounded determined, her voice strong and a tad bit raised, and Taeyong could feel his cheeks heat up from embarrassment and shame.

He knew he was kind of overreacting about the whole situation. His colleagues knowing that he was an omega wasn’t that big a deal to many people, but Taeyong hated it.

He wanted to prove that even though he was an omega, he could do this. He could work his way up and become a world known fashion designer, even as a small omega. And he was terrified this simple thing could make it all come crashing down.

‘’Understood?’’ Amber then asked, and Taeyong nodded.

‘’Y-yeah, understood.’’ She smiled sympathetically at him, worry clear in her eyes.

‘’So, you already knew about my status when I came in last week?’’ The question had left Taeyong’s mouth before he could stop it. Amber chuckled, however, and nodded. ‘’Me and Jongin both knew from the very beginning. We read over your work while your professor waited and came to a decision together, completely disregarding your status, and decided to hire you.’’ Taeyong smiled at that. He was happy that he wasn’t just hired because he was a nice omega to look at, but they actually looked at his work.

‘’is there anyone else who knows?’’ He then asked, and Amber firmly shook her head.

‘’as of right now, no one else knows that I’m aware of. Of course, Mr. Seo and Mr. Kim were made aware of the fact that we had new interns, some walking around on the finance department and I believe there’s one working with our tech guys right now, but they didn’t read any of the files. No one knows.’’ This calmed Taeyong down a bit. He felt himself relax back into the chair ever so slightly and watched as Amber did the same, before nodding.

‘’Was that everything?’’ Amber nodded and stood up as Taeyong did, the both of them shaking hands before Taeyong walked out of the office. He let himself lean against the wall right next to the door for a second, heaving out a sigh. The days of hiding his identity were over, and that was relieving in a way, but the days of protecting himself from the other alpha’s around and having to prepare himself for the judgement he was going to get from the alpha’s and beta’s working  on the floor had just started.

He walked back to his desk and was greeted with a smile from Jongin as he sat down. ‘’You knew, hyung?’’ Jongin looked confused for a second, before nodding. ‘’Then why did you ask me about it last week?’’ It was a question Taeyong had been meaning to ask anyway, and since the whole department was about to find out about his status, he might as well.

‘’I wanted you to come forward yourself. When you told me you were a beta, I saw this as your decision to stay silent about it and I respected that.’’ Taeyong smiled, Jongin’s words heating up his cheeks. Jongin was a good man.

‘’Well, alright. Let’s get back to work, I guess.’’

 

Amber hadn’t told Taeyong when Mr. Seo was coming back, but he could sense it as the effect of the dampers started to be lowered, and a familiar strong scent hit him as he got into the elevator to go down a floor to use the bathrooms.

Immediately, Taeyong felt his nostrils flare and his mind go hazy as the scent crept closer and closer, and he realized he had forgotten to push the button for the right floor, his mind too affected by the sudden stream of pheromones hitting him straight on.

The elevator went down all the way to the lobby of the building, and Taeyong allowed himself to lean against the wall for support as the scent got thicker and thicker and the doors to the elevator opened. A new wave of pheromones hit him, and for a second Taeyong was sure he’d faint.

Right until he realized who had gotten into the elevator, that is. Mr. Seo himself walked into the elevator, two other seemingly older men behind him, a suitcase in one hand and a coffee in the other.

Taeyong turned around immediately, turning himself to look at the beautiful view of the outside world as he tried to block out the delicious scent now filling the elevator as it closed its doors. Taeyong recognized the scent from the café, the smell of freshly cut grass combined with hard wood and a soft hint of cinnamon returning. He inhaled softly, letting himself relish in the delicious scent before snapping out of it.

The scents from the other two men in the elevator were soft, almost unnoticeable, and this led Taeyong to believe that they were mated already. He allowed himself to steal a glance at the most prominant alpha in the room, and he felt his knees buckle. Taeyong had never been more grateful for railings in his life.

The alpha looked absolutely amazing. He was wearing a light grey suit that perfectly hugged his arms and legs in the right places, showing off his muscles to the world. His hair was styled beautifully, slightly out of his face, and Taeyong had the urge to whimper and _submit._

He knew that Mr. Seo had figured out Taeyong was an omega by now, his pheromones probably filling the elevator to the brink. Taeyong hated it, but he couldn’t stop them. From the looks of the other alpha men in the elevator, they didn’t really enjoy it either.

Taeyong then allowed himself to take a glance at Mr. Seo from the reflection of the window, and was met with eyes starting daggers into his back. He straightened up almost instantly, the intense gaze Mr. Seo had on him clearly having an impact on his body.

The stares he sent Taeyong’s way made his knees weak. Taeyong was forced to grab a hold of the railing even tighter, his knuckles turning white as he could feel Mr. Seo’s pheromones growing in strength.

As soon as the doors to the fifteenth floor opened, Taeyong bolted out as fast as he could. He ran into the hallway of the floor and bent over, his hands holding him up against the wall, as he heaved out a breath of fresh air. Mr. Seo’s scent carried itself away and became less present the more levels up he went, and Taeyong let out a sigh of relief.

He had never reacted to an alpha’s scent this strongly before. When Yuta first presented as an alpha right after Taeyong did as an omega, he hadn’t even felt the same as he had felt every single time Mr. Seo was even remotely close.

Taeyong had no idea why, but he did know that he didn’t enjoy it in the slightest.

 

Jongin had protected Taeyong ever since Taeyong had rushed back onto the work floor after using the bathroom, rambling a short summary of the events that had taken place in the elevator, right until the moment Taeyong had walked out of the building. His shift ended earlier than Jongin’s, but the older alpha made a point of walking Taeyong out of the building, and Taeyong can’t say he didn’t appreciate it.

As he walked back into his dorm, toeing off his shoes and dropping his bag onto the floor, he was met with Jungwoo and Yukhei, casually napping together on Jungwoo’s bed. Taeyong smiled at the couple, before sitting down on his own bed, tugging his legs under his body and sighing.

Taeyong mindlessly scrolled through fashion updates on his phone, liking and bookmarking some of the articles and pieces of clothing he wanted to buy if he ever had the money. He put his phone away after that, quickly changing into more comfortable clothing before sitting down at his desk. He cracked his knuckles and opened up his laptop, exiting out of the multiple tabs he had opened on the newest Chanel collection and opening up his homework for his classes tomorrow.

Taeyong had gotten quite an amount of stares back at the office. From the moment the dampers effect got lessened, Taeyong could feel the pairs of eyes on him multiply. He felt like with every move he made, at least two people were watching him. it was nerve wracking, to say the least, but so far nothing bad had happened and Taeyong was sure Jongin was a big cause of that.

At the café, however, Taeyong had received quite a lot of comments from his co-workers, especially Donghyuck, about how he smelled different than normal. Donghyuck had wiggled his eyebrows more times than Taeyong could count during his shift, and the memory of the younger boy continuously asking about it made Taeyong chuckle.

After about an hour, Taeyong turned his head as he heard some rustling behind him. He heard Yukhei groan and he smiled, getting up and walking toward the tiny kitchen in their dorm to brew some tea for the mated pair.

‘’Hello lovebirds, how was the nap?’’ He asked as they both rubbed their eyes, and Jungwoo sighed. ‘’that was a good nap. Would recommend, ten out of ten.’’ Yukhei responded, making Taeyong roll his eyes.

Taeyong hadn’t slept a lot, the past few days filled with working and homework, and he knew his friends were worried. But, sleeping meant less work hours, and less work hours meant not being able to pay for the dorm, and so Taeyong suffered on with tired eyes and bags that just about reached the floor.

‘’How was work, hyung?’’ Taeyong stilled his actions, his arm hanging halfway into the air to reach into the cupboard for three mugs. He turned his head to look at Jungwoo, and shrugged.

‘’They somewhat deactivated the dampers.’’ He deadpanned, quickly turning back to grab the mugs.

‘’They did what? Why did they do that?’’

‘’Is that even legal?’’ Came Yukhei’s question, and Taeyong sighed at that. He kept pouring the tea, responding all the while. ‘’Mr. Seo came back from a business trip that lasted a week and a half today. The president of department called me into her office to explain what this meant. She knew of my status all along, as did my supervisor, and she warned me that the effect of the dampers was going to be lessened, almost to a deactivated state due to Mr. Seo’s preference. Oh and, yes, it’s legal.’’ Taeyong sat down on the floor in front of the bed, and handed the duo their respective mugs.

‘’So they all knew? All along?’’ Jungwoo asked, and Taeyong shook his head. ‘’Only Jongin-hyung and Amber-noona knew about my status. Now, the entire building knows. Oh, and don’t ever get me started on what happened when Mr. Seo actually came back.’’

As Taeyong recalled the events that had taken place inside the elevator, he felt a warmth spread across his chest that he had never felt before. He felt a strange longing for the alpha’s scent, and was about to sniff his arm only to realise that he had changed clothing and that Mr. Seo’s scent was gone.

‘’I already thought you smelled different when I woke up.’’ Taeyong raised his eyebrows at Yukhei’s comment, and eyed him questioningly. The younger alpha chuckled as he let one arm wrap around Jungwoo’s shoulder, nosing the omega’s shoulder before answering.

‘’You smell different. Not as sweet as you normally smell.’’ This left Taeyong star struck. Once again, Mr. Seo’s scent had wrapped itself around him, and if it was anything like last time, it wouldn’t leave for the next couple days no matter how hard Taeyong tried to get rid of it.

Not that he wanted to, per se. He got an odd sense of comfort from the alpha’s scent, a calmness from just inhaling ever so slightly. Of course, from a safe distance. Once the scent got too close, Taeyong felt like he was about to lose it every single time.

‘’Did he touch you?’’ Jungwoo then asked. Taeyong shook his head firmly, letting out a breathy chuckle. ‘’No, woo, he did not touch me.’’ Jungwoo seemed satisfied with that. He leant onto Yukhei’s side, leaning his head down to lay on the alpha’s shoulder.

Taeyong rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his own tea as he felt envy arise in his chest. He willed it down, though, and tried replacing it with happiness for his friends. He was happy the soft and down to earth Jungwoo had loud and obnoxious Yukhei to pull him along. He was glad Yukhei had someone to sit him down every once in a while and pull him back to earth. They complimented each other in ways Taeyong never knew was possible.

From a young age, love had always been on the back burner for Taeyong. It had always been about survival. Growing up in an orphanage with fifteen other kids wasn’t easy, and it meant customizing yourself to everyone around you all the time. Taeyong didn’t really have time for love while growing up, and he still doesn’t, too busy getting good grades and fawning over fashion tabloids while working his ass off to save up for college.

Even now, Taeyong couldn’t allow himself to do more than think and long for love. He didn’t have time, nor did it feel right to fall in love with someone. He couldn’t exactly place his finger on it, but a weird feeling had curled itself around Taeyong’s body ever since a couple weeks ago. A feeling that made him incredibly confused, because for the longest time all he ever wanted was love, and now it somehow feels strange to fall in love with some stranger. Something was holding him back.

Even without the love, it had been a rough ride, and so far the turning point of the heavily damaged high way Taeyong called life was nowhere in sight, the hope of a calm and peaceful future with emotional and financial stability a dream Taeyong knew he’d probably never achieve, but he kept going.

He kept working, kept on trying to survive in the world and as he’s seated there, chatting with his friends and laughing along with their jokes, the feeling of jealousy not quite leaving his chest, the small sliver of hope Taeyong buried so deep within himself no one could see it, started to slowly grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey!!
> 
> So they met, once again, informally! I'm so excited to get this show on the road, you have no idea. Thanks for the loving comments on the last chapter, they really made my day. I told my therapist that I write stories and post them online, and that they made me happy. Which, she was very happy about. I'm glad you guys read this and like it as much as I do!! 
> 
> See ya next week ;)
> 
> x D.
> 
> find me:  
> [My twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[CC](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	7. Chapter 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey!
> 
> It's an early update today, because I'm busy the entirety of today and I think earlier than normal is better than late, so here you go :) i hope you enjoy!

‘’here.’’ Taeyong looked up from his computer screen to see Jongin standing there with a mug of hot chocolate, and he smiled at him. He took it gratefully, his hands instantly warming up as he held the mug in between them.

‘’Thanks.’’ Taeyong muttered, blowing into the delicious drink. Jongin smiled back at him and sat down at his desk again. His attention stayed on Taeyong for a split second before moving back to his computer, and Taeyong sighed in relief.

Ever since the dampers had been turned down, Jongin had been like this. He always seemed to have half of his attention on his work, the other half on Taeyong. He thought it was nice, of course, the stares of several alpha’s and even beta’s on the work floor getting to Taeyong even if it was just a little bit.

Taeyong had noticed that even Amber, who usually spent her days working in her office, made her way toward his desk more often. While getting coffee she always found her way to Taeyong’s desk and made small talk. Not that he was complaining, Amber was an incredibly nice woman and Taeyong really took a liking to her, but it was somewhat nerve wrecking to know that the president of the department was watching him at all times.

‘’Did you manage to edit the paragraph on the growth of our stocks?’’ Taeyong nodded, mentally groaning. That piece had taken him longer than expected due to the boredom that came with stock information and the likes. He really wasn’t fond of economics, especially stuff like that. Luckily for Taeyong, he didn’t have to find the information himself and just wrote down what the stocks department had already found.

‘’I’ll email it to you.’’ Taeyong turned back to the computer and was quick to open up a new email, sending the document Jongin’s way. As the animation of the email sending left his screen, he sat back in his chair.

According to Taeyong’s friends, he had one of the more relaxed internships. Sicheng spent his days dancing, exhausting himself, while Yuta had to wreck his brain over different sorts of biology things Taeyong _really_ knew absolutely nothing about. Jungwoo had come home with more cuts on his hand the other day, and Yukhei was sore from head to toe. Doyoung, who was an intern at a law firm, got yelled at on a daily basis and Jaehyun, who was an intern at his uncles real estate firm, had to deal with rich, snobby assholes wanting to buy or rent apartments.

Granted, his friends chose those internships, while Taeyong was put in his without him having any sort of control over it. Which, again, was his own fault and he knew that, but he was still bitter about it. But, as the days working went by, even if it had only been two weeks thus far, Taeyong could say he didn’t really mind working at SeoKim.

Putting the damper situation and the strangely attractive CEO aside, Taeyong enjoyed the work. He was blessed with nice co-workers and the work itself wasn’t that challenging. He even had some games installed on his computer for the lulls in between assignments.

‘’Oh, our date for the quarter meeting!’’ Jongin spoke up, his eyes trained on his desktop screen. Taeyong raised his eyebrow and stood up, walking around his desk to stand behind Jongin. His eyes widened as he saw the date on the screen.

‘’It’s upcoming Monday at 3:30! That’s not too bad, is it?’’ Jongin turned around to look at Taeyong, who mindlessly nodded. His shift at the library started at exactly 4:15, giving him time to drop off his bags at home and walking to the library after he got home from the office. His boss was going to be pissed off.

‘’That’s not too bad, no.’’ Taeyong mumbled, down casting his eyes as he walked back to his seat. ‘’Did you have plans after work on Monday?’’ Jongin seemed to sense Taeyong’s hesitation about the date. Taeyong didn’t see any reason to lie, seeing as Jongin was aware he worked three jobs, so he nodded.

‘’Yeah, my shift at the library starts at 4:15. But, don’t worry! I’ll fix it.’’ Taeyong hastily replied. Jongin eyed him for a second, and Taeyong hated the worry in his eyes as the older alpha nodded. ‘’I hope that goes alright.’’

‘’I’ll answer Amber-noona then.’’ And with that, Jongin dropped the topic. Taeyong sighed gratefully, turning back to his computer to finish up his work.

He couldn’t focus anymore, however. He had sensed it when he came in in the morning, but blocked it out for the first part of the day. Now that Taeyong had been pulled out of his work for longer than a bathroom break, not able to distract himself with the constant pressure of having to finish yet another piece of writing, he somewhat allowed himself to take a breather.

Clearly, that was the wrong decision, because almost instantly did he notice the scent he by now recognized creep up on him. It wasn’t very strong, the amount of floors between them softening the amount and strength of the pheromones that did get through the many, many layers of concrete and floors, but it was noticeable to Taeyong.

He looked around to see whether or not other people were affected by it as well, and was met with the sight of people going about their day like nothing was happening. With all the courage he had in his body, Taeyong turned to Jongin.

‘’Hyung? Do you smell that?’’ At first, the alpha male didn’t react, just typing rapidly onto his keyboard. After a few seconds and Taeyong almost repeating his question, Jongin inhaled sharply before shaking his head. ‘’No? what do you smell?’’ Taeyong frowned.

If he was the only one who could smell the scent around him, was it just his imagination acting up? He didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, his shift at the café starting incredibly early and an edit due for his media class didn’t help either. It could just be his exhaustion playing games with him.

Taeyong shrugged, ‘’it’s a definite alpha scent.’’ He muttered, dropping his head to rest his chin on his hand. Jongin sniffled and shrugged, coming up empty. ‘’I don’t really smell a lot already, but I really don’t smell anything other than a faint hint of you.’’ Taeyong felt a blush creeping up at the mention of his scent and pheromones and looked down at the desk shyly.

‘’sorry about that.’’ He figured asking Jongin was a bad idea in the first place, because mated pairs weren’t affected by other scents anymore. They could smell them faintly, if they really tried, but it had no effect on them whatsoever. Taeyong eyed one of the pictures Jongin had at his desk of Kyungsoo and sighed. Jongin wasn’t any help, really, but since the other workers weren’t affected either, Taeyong figured it was just him.

‘’No need to apologize. Did you notice however that your scent has become more prominent ever since yesterday?’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at that, almost comically in a way, and Jongin chuckled. ‘’I’m guessing you didn’t?’’ Taeyong shook his head, burying his face in his arms.

What had changed ever since yesterday? He had been working normally, hadn’t done anything special that could have possibly been the reason for the spike in his scent. Taeyong pouted. He swirled a pen that had been laying on his desk untouched around in his hand, turning his face to look out the window.

Mr. Seo had come back into the office. It hit Taeyong like a ton of bricks, a sudden feeling of uncomfortableness hitting him right in the chest, a curious feeling swirling in his stomach simultaneously. Taeyong was aware that Mr. Seo’s scent had a certain effect on him as an omega, but he wasn’t supposed to be the only one affected by it if it had been anything regular. He didn’t know why he was reacting to him this way and why the scent of hardwood, cinnamon and freshy cut grass was so enticing to him, even if he didn’t want it to be.

‘’Maybe that encounter you had with Mr. Seo did something?’’ Jongin kindly suggested, and Taeyong groaned. He didn’t want this to happen.

‘’I sure hope not.’’ He retaliated, cutting off any sort of continuation of the conversation because he knew _exactly_ where this was going to go. He had read enough articles about Mr. Seo’s behaviour, enough gossip magazines talked about the way he supposedly treated omega’s, and it sent a shiver down his spine just thinking about it.

According to many Korean, and international, tabloids, Mr. Seo was a player from head to toe. Taeyong had the pleasure of reading many articles written about alleged one night stands his boss had had, only for him to ask Jongin and for the older to completely deny anything of the likes. It was a weird situation, because everyone who worked for the company seemed to agree that Mr. Seo wasn’t an asshole, while everyone outside of the company either saw him as a potential threat, an annoyingly healthy and influential alpha or, in fact, an asshole.

Taeyong had learned to trust the words of his supervisor rather than the words of the gossip tabloids and bordering stalker websites, but there was still this thought in the back of his head. He remembered the fierce stare Mr. Seo had given him when Taeyong was just doing his job at the café, and the way Mr. Kim had just smiled at him. He didn’t quite understand why Mr. Seo had stared so intensely, and a couple weeks after the incident as he sat at his desk, Taeyong still found himself utterly clueless.

-

‘’I’ll see you on Monday!’’ Taeyong waved Jongin off as he walked out of the building, still eternally grateful for the fact that the alpha escorts him out every single day, and made his way toward the station.

As some soft tunes of a ballad Yixing had recommended during their shift at the bar two days ago entered Taeyong’s ears, he sat down on the train. Being off at three meant no rush hour, and Taeyong was extremely happy he didn’t have to deal with standing for an hour straight.

He took his phone out of his pocket, raising the volume ever so slightly to drown out the other people talking on the carriage, and opened the text conversation he had with his boss from the library. His boss was an old, grouchy ex professor from university, and was given the task to run the library after he retired. He loved books, to his credit, and couldn’t stand when students didn’t appreciate the art of written literature.

And as much as Taeyong agreed, he couldn’t find it in himself to like the man. He always complained, constantly whining and telling Taeyong all his problems, which were usually not more than his knee cap itching or his back hurting, and he was a complete and utter dickhead.

The fact that the man was a beta didn’t help, because according to him he had power over Taeyong simply because of the fact the boy was an omega. This, of course, rubbed Taeyong, and many of his fellow omega co-workers, the wrong way. But, they couldn’t complain, because work was work and the man didn’t want to leave his beloved job even if it meant dying while in position.

Taeyong was surprised the guy even had a phone, and sighed as he texted him.

‘’Good afternoon, sir. Something at my internship came up for the upcoming Monday. Is it possible for me to start my shift maybe an hour and a half later?’’ Taeyong read aloud in a soft whisper, before agreeing with himself that this was as good as it was going to get. Taeyong knew that he could never make it to the library on time even if his shift started an hour and a half later, but arriving fifteen minutes late was more acceptable than arriving two hours late.

It wasn’t until Taeyong was home and changing into his work clothes for the café, for the second time that day, did he receive an answer.

‘’I’m sorry to inform you then, Taeyong, but you’re fired. You’ve been late more times than I can count on two hands, and you never function properly while on the job. I hope to receive your key card in the upcoming week.’’ Taeyong read in disbelief, his voice raising with every word. This couldn’t be true. He didn’t just get fired.

‘’that’s absolute bullshit!’’ Taeyong yelled at his phone. He always had a habit of talking to himself when alone, and now that Jungwoo wasn’t in the dorms he had all the time in the world to yell at his phone in peace.

He quickly typed out an angry answer, the rational side of him screaming to beg for his job back because he somehow needed to afford living, and flung his phone into his backpack. He buttoned the last button of the white button up he wore for work and grabbed his bag before opening the door and stepping out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him as hard as he could.

Taeyong was pissed.

There was absolutely no reason for his boss to fire him, other than the personal vendetta he seemed to have against Taeyong. It had started the first time Taeyong was late, his statistics class running late due to the professor wanting to explain a little more about a very hard exercise they had done in class, and therefor Taeyong ran late by only five minutes.

Ever since then, the old man had held a grudge against him and now the grudge had turned even worse, because Taeyong had lost his job.

As he walked into the backroom of the café, the force of the situation hit him. Without his minimal library salary, he was forced to stay afloat with the shifts he was working at the bar and café at the moment. He’d never be able to support himself. He’d have to cut down on food, start wearing clothes even though they badly needed laundry, and the dorms would become unaffordable.

Thinking further ahead to the tuition due date, which wasn’t until January, Taeyong freaked. He sat down on the first surface he could find, the table, grabbing his phone and dialling up the first person he could think of.

‘’ _Hyung? What’s wrong?_ ’’ Yuta’s voice rang through the speakers, and Taeyong relaxed a little bit. A tear found itself down his cheek, the stress getting to him bit by bit, and he sighed.

‘’I-I just got fired?’’ It’s more of a question than a statement, really, but Yuta seemed to understand.

‘’ _where? The bar, café or library?_ ’’ Yuta knew the bar was Taeyong’s best source of income, the tips he usually got was the money Taeyong allowed himself to spend on the occasional magazine or new shirt, and at the prospect of maybe losing that job Yuta freaked, too.

‘’Library.’’ Taeyong answered his best friend, standing up. He started pacing the break room, his shift not starting for another five minutes. He had some time to calm himself down and talk to Yuta.

‘’ _Where are you now?_ ’’ Taeyong could hear some rustling on the other side of the line and guessed Yuta was getting up from somewhere, knowing the Japanese boy probably the floor -which, for some odd reason he always felt most comfortable, don’t ask Taeyong why- and walking with the phone in hand.

‘’I’m at the café. My shift starts in three minutes.’’ Taeyong eyed the clock on the wall, ticking time away Taeyong knew he didn’t have. He didn’t have time to get fired from a job. He didn’t have time for anything other than working, really, and it was frustrating.

‘’ _I’ll be there in ten._ ’’ Taeyong thanked Yuta, a tiny wrecked smile making its way onto his face as he hung up. He walked up to the lockers and grabbed his apron, tying it behind his back before pocketing his phone. Taeyong walked over to the small mirror that hung on the wall, and eyed himself.

He was like a ghost. His skin was insanely pale, his cheeks starting to hollow even more than what was natural for him, and dark circles under his eyes. It was as if Taeyong wasn’t staring at himself. It felt like staring at a stranger, someone very distant Taeyong didn’t know. He hated how much of a stranger he had become to himself, the stress and pressure pushing himself away from things that made him, him.

It had been days since he was able to read a fashion article, only able to scroll through Instagram in between shifts or while commuting back and forth. It had been a week since he’d been able to put a pencil on paper that wasn’t for school or work related, and it drove Taeyong insane.

He heaved a deep sigh, straightened his shoulders and waltzed out the door. He could do this, just like he had done any other time. But, as he was greeted by Donghyuck smiling at him, his face full and no dark circles whatsoever, Taeyong was hit by a sudden wave of discouragement.

What if it was all him? what if he was just the reason why thinks couldn’t work out? What if it was his fault that he didn’t have enough money, didn’t work on his schoolwork as much as he should due to working hours and didn’t catch enough sleep?

He seemed to always be the only one struggling, all of his friends doing just fine -not around finals week, but that was another story- even though most of them did have part time jobs or some other source of income they had to work for. It was frustrating and extremely disheartening to be the only one around that was struggling.

Nonetheless, Taeyong greeted Donghyuck with an equally as wide smile. ‘’How are you today, Hyuck?’’ He asked, pocketing a notepad into his apron and grabbing a pen from the pencil case next to the register. Donghyuck grinned, ‘’I’m doing great, actually! I only had one lecture for the day, so Mark and I went for lunch before I got here about an hour ago.’’ Taeyong smiled at the thought of the young couple going out on dates, and almost cooed as Donghyuck blushed.

‘’That’s cool. Where did you two go?’’ Taeyong tried to keep the conversation going, tried to keep it based around Donghyuck’s day and not so much about his. Yuta wasn’t here yet and he wasn’t sure Donghyuck could pick up the pieces if he had a full-fledged break down right there and then.

‘’We went to this cute Thai place a couple streets over? They had great Tom Yum, you should go there sometime.’’ Taeyong listened to Donghyuck talk about his date, the familiar feeling of envy pooling in his gut every time Donghyuck’s smile got brighter by the mention of his boyfriend.

‘’I’m here!’’ the two males behind the cash register turned to look, but Taeyong had recognized that voice from miles away. He smiled as his best friend sauntered over to the counter, dropping a bag of groceries on top of it.

‘’I texted Jungwoo, he gave me your grocery shopping list so I emptied my fridge. That’s one less thing to worry about.’’ Yuta smiled at Taeyong, winking at him, before continuing. ‘’And I’d like an sweetened iced americano, please.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes at that.

‘’Having an americano sweetened kind of eliminates the purpose of the beverage, dumbass.’’ Taeyong commented, peeking into the grocery bag and smiling. He choked back the feeling of guilt that coursed through his veins, because he knew that Yuta was just a student, too. He knew, however, that if he complained about it Yuta would get mad and he couldn’t have that, so he just kindly accepted the bag and put it down right next to the back door.

‘’I am aware of that, hyung, but a regular americano is bitter as fuck.’’

‘’Why don’t you just order a cappuccino then, hyung?’’ Donghyuck butted in, handing the sweetened americano to Yuta and accepting the Japanese boy’s change. Yuta took a sip and sighed obnoxiously, and Taeyong rolled his eyes.

‘’Because, I need the caffeine that an americano provides.’’ Donghyuck burst out in laughter, shaking his head. ‘’fair enough.’’ He said. The younger eyed a group of people coming in and waited for them to sit down before walking around the counter and rushing on over to take their orders.

‘’So, fired huh?’’ Yuta started. Taeyong swallowed harshly, the reality hitting him more and more, and nodded.

‘’Why did he?’’ Yuta kept stirring his americano, even though they both knew Donghyuck had already stirred it enough. It was a habit of Yuta. Every time he grew worried or was nervous, he needed to fiddle with something. Whether it was a piece of paper, a pen or in this case stirring his coffee even though the beverage didn’t need it, he fiddled.

At first, it had annoyed Taeyong. Therefor, the first time Yuta did it when they had just met in middle school, Taeyong complained about it. It made it seem like Yuta was distracted, not interested, while Taeyong knew now that that wasn’t the case. On the contrary, even.

The older of the two sighed, leaning his arms on the counter. ‘’We have a quarter meeting upcoming Monday, something I can’t miss, and it’s during my shift at the library. I texted the old dumbfuck that, and he didn’t like it. I even _asked_ to come in later, didn’t even demand it! And yet, he fires me!’’ Taeyong knew his voice was too loud to be socially acceptable in a public place, and he could see some customers turning their heads to look at him, but he didn’t care.

He was worried, stressed, frustrated with the world and on top of that, the cherry on the cake, the last drop until the bucket with water that represented Taeyong’s life overflowed: he was exhausted. Mentally and physically drained to the core.

‘’That doesn’t make any sense.’’ Yuta commented, and Taeyong appreciated it. He didn’t like it when people pitied him, he didn’t need that. He needed someone level headed, rational, and even though on most occasions Yuta was the exact opposite of rational, he was in these sorts of situations. And Taeyong appreciated that.

‘’no it doesn’t. And to be able to afford rent, I have to take up double shifts at the bar and here. I’m not even sure whether or not that’s possible! Last week Baekhyun quit because he only got one shift a week, while at some other bar further into the city he’d get to work all week. They don’t have enough shifts and too many people.’’ Taeyong didn’t want to yell, so he tried to keep his voice down as much as possible. Donghyuck had walked on and off toward the counter at this point, hurriedly getting everyone their orders and Taeyong felt bad. It was almost rush hour and here he was complaining about his life while Donghyuck worked his butt off.

It was getting significantly busier now, and Taeyong groaned. ‘’You’ll find a way, hyung. I believe in you. Now go help poor Hyuck because I’m pretty sure it’s getting too busy for him to handle!’’ Yuta ushered Taeyong away, and while Taeyong worked to get people their respective orders and made small talk with the customers, he was grateful for the distraction that it gave him.

Things had gotten a bit more difficult today, his library income something he desperately needed and for some things even depended on, but it had also been somewhat relieving to receive that text message. Taeyong didn’t hate working at the library, he just hated his boss. Every time he had a shift he was filled with anxiety up to the point of stomach aches, so it was somewhat relieving he’d never have to experience such a thing again.

On the other hand, money had gotten even more tighter now. Taeyong realized he’d have to spend his tips from the bar on his groceries now, mostly, and saving up for rent would take longer than necessary. He could always loan money, but he didn’t want to take advantage of anyone. His friends had told him multiple times that it was okay to ask, that they didn’t mind paying for his groceries every once in a while or buy him a shirt.

But Taeyong hated it. He had always worked for his own money, always bought his own things, so the thought of having to spend someone else’s money didn’t sit well with him. No matter how much he wanted to accept the help, he knew it wouldn’t feel right in the end. He’d feel guilty every single time he looked his friends in the eye, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle that.

So instead, Taeyong tightened his apron and walked onto the café floor armed with his notebook and pen, determination and exhaustion clear in his eyes as he continued on working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aND that's it.  
> i'll see you guys next week!! i hope you enjoyed, i'd love to hear feedback! thank you so so much for reading, 
> 
> x D.
> 
> find me! i love talking to u guys  
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	8. Chapter 8.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy :)

Meticulous. Taeyong wanted to look absolutely meticulous. Scratch that, he wanted to look _like_ he was meticulous. He wanted to look smart, but still classy. Pretty, but also rough. It was a hard outfit to put together already, and with Jungwoo breathing down his neck it didn’t get easier.

‘’Taeyong you need to stop stressing so much. It’s just thirty minutes of taking notes!’’ Taeyong knew Jungwoo was right as the younger sat on his bed, shaking his head at certain clothing items Taeyong held in front of himself. It was a frustrating process that had been going on for almost thirty minutes now, and he was getting nervous.

He turned to look at Jungwoo, holding up a white blouse that was slightly lose and some tight black pants, a black tie and a barrette as accessory. Jungwoo’s eyes widened and he nodded furiously, jumping off the bed to grab something.

‘’He’s going to be in the same room as me for thirty minutes.’’ Taeyong deadpanned for the fourth time that morning. Jungwoo chucked a pillow at him, which he could barely dodge, and rolled his eyes. Taeyong had told him about everything that had gone down at the office, from the elevator incident -credits to Yukhei for that name- to the overprotectiveness Jongin had been showing ever since the dampers had been turned down a week ago. Jungwoo was worried, sure, but not impressed.

‘’It’s not. A. big. Deal.’’ with every word that the boy spoke, he came one step closer with a leather bag in his hand. Taeyong gasped and shook his head as Jungwoo handed it to him, waving his hands in front of him as if to reject Jungwoo’s offer. That was Jungwoo’s favourite bag. It was a beautiful leather backpack, one he used almost every day which made it look fashionably worn -a look Taeyong loved-, silver decorations scattered across the design. Taeyong had been present when Yukhei bought it for Jungwoo a year ago, and he was still jealous of the other owning it.

‘’I can’t take that.’’ Taeyong answered Jungwoo’s silent question. He turned to his bed and draped out his outfit, before taking off his pyjama pants. He was halfway into the black pants, it just above his knees before Jungwoo spoke up again.

‘’Take it as a good luck token!’’ The younger yelped, dropping the bag next to Taeyong’s outfit on the elders bed. Taeyong whined but gave in as Jungwoo looked at him with puppy eyes. ‘’at least let me take you out for lunch for that, then.’’ The younger agreed to that, smiling, and got comfy in bed again.

On Mondays, Jungwoo didn’t start until three in the afternoon, when Taeyong’s shift would normally end. The fucker. Taeyong had taken the curtesy of not taking on an extra shift at the café in the morning, instead letting himself sleep in for half an hour longer -he knew the dark circles under his eyes wouldn’t leave with half an hour extra sleep, thank you very much, but he could try- and giving himself the time to get ready for the meeting.

The meeting with Mr. Seo and Mr. Kim, talking about the plans of the media department for the upcoming quarter of the year, including the start of the new year. According to Jooheon, who walked up to Taeyong a few days ago at the coffee machine, the ones regarding the start of a new year are always the most interesting, and somehow this made Taeyong even more nervous.

He was already the epitome of a nervous wreck at this point, the pressure of such an important meeting crushing his shoulders, but also the fact that he was going to be in the same room as Mr. Seo. For some odd reason Taeyong couldn’t explain, nor did a google search at four in the morning right after his shift at the bar help, Mr. Seo had this weird unknown effect on him.

According to Yuta, the google search might have not been thorough enough, since it was at four am and Taeyong was _exhausted,_ but Taeyong stood by his point. The effect had no business being there, and so he was going to try and avoid it at all costs.

He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he would try to not look at Mr. Seo as much as Taeyong would usually do spotting the older male. He knew for a fact that looking at and admiring Mr. Seo wasn’t helping his case, and so he decided against doing that. Taeyong also came up with the plan to sit as far away from the man as he possibly could, and that he would just focus on taking notes and nothing else.

Absolutely nothing else.

 

From the moment Taeyong walked into meeting room forty-two A, however, he knew he was fucked. Mr. Seo’s pheromones hit him like crazy the second he walked in right behind Jooheon, Amber and Jongin, and he had to stop for a second and let his vision come back to normal. The room seemed clouded with the alpha’s scent, a faint, softer scent he didn’t quite recognize poking from underneath the blanket of Mr. Seo’s scent.

Taeyong guessed it was Mr. Kim’s scent that lured somewhere underneath Mr. Seo’s, and he shivered at the thought of being in this meeting room with him for over thirty minutes.

‘’Good afternoon, Mr. Kim and Mr. Seo.’’ Taeyong bowed just as Jongin, Amber and Jooheon did, his legs trembling and his mind hazy. He hated being affected by a new alpha scent. Once Taeyong got used to the scents around him, much like he had done with Yuta’s, Yukhei’s and Jaehyun’s, everything was fine. He could go about his day, hang out with them, without a problem in the world.

As soon as a new scent got involved, Taeyong had to adapt to that particular scent. Usually this didn’t take much longer than twenty minutes, so for him to be so affected by Mr. Seo’s scent was unusual to say the least.

‘’Afternoon, gentlemen and Amber. Sit down please.’’ There was a certain level of tension in the room. Taeyong felt it in his chest as he sat down. The tension wasn’t unpleasant, so to speak, and Taeyong knew from a few glances that all the alpha’s in the room had somewhat of a good relationship with each other. It hit him a few seconds later that he was in a room full of alpha’s as the only omega.

He felt himself subconsciously shrink, his shoulders narrowing in and his legs now firmly closed. It was his nature to succumb to an alpha’s will, to make himself small in any situation that he stumbled upon with multiple strong alpha’s in the picture. It wasn’t weird or new for him, but Taeyong hated how it made him feel.

‘’We have someone with us today,’’ Amber started, holding her hand out towards Taeyong as if to point at him without using her index finger. He blushed feverishly, before finally catching a glimpse of the two seated at the other side of the table.

The first thing Taeyong noticed were gloves on Mr. Seo’s hands. They were a soft white, perfectly matching his grey suit, and delicately wrapped around his hands. Taeyong figured they were perfectly fitted as he frowned. Why would he be wearing gloves?

Taeyong’s eyes widened as he remembered something. He had seen the gloves before. Well, not exactly _those_ gloves, but he had seen Mr. Seo wear gloves before. He remembered seeing him wear them in the café, and even if he hadn’t noticed at first due to the state Taeyong had been in, he now remembered that Mr. Seo had been wearing them in the elevator too.

Did he always wear gloves?

The second thing he noticed was that Mr. Seo’s eyes were on him, and no one else. Taeyong quickly turned his head away, a blush covering his cheeks.

 ‘’This is Lee Taeyong. He’s our intern for the next six months and has been working with us for two weeks now.’’ Taeyong nodded at that, quickly looking up at the duo of CEO’s before looking at the table in front of him again.

‘’It’s a pleasure to meet you, _Taeyong._ ’’ Hearing his name come out of Mr. Seo’s mouth, with his incredibly soothing voice, was a whole new experience for Taeyong. He felt a shiver go down his spine, triggering the trembling in his hands and legs. He felt a sudden rush of warmth pass through him, one he only felt during his heat, and he inwardly groaned.

He knew he wasn’t going to get his heat yet, the incredibly agonizing phenomenon only a couple weeks away, and Taeyong was dreading it to say the least. He was glad, however, that he didn’t have it now or was close to having it, because Mr. Seo would have definitely triggered it.

It was a sensation Taeyong had never felt before in his life. It made him feel like he was swimming through clouds, the weight on his shoulders relaxing for just a few seconds as he listened to Mr. Seo talk about the meeting.

‘’So, talk to us. What are the plans?’’ Mr. Kim was the one to speak up this time, his voice soft and friendly, and Taeyong was pulled back to earth. He could feel multiple pairs of eyes on him, including Mr. Seo’s, and burned a bright red yet again before opening up his laptop to take notes.

‘’Taeyong will be taking notes of the meeting for his internship report that he has to hand in after these six months, I hope that’s okay.’’ Jooheon spoke for Taeyong, and he flushed an embarrassed pink, having forgotten to ask himself. Some of the information they were going to discuss could be registered as classified, therefore taking notes of them would be a violation of contract. Taeyong didn’t want that.

‘’That’s completely fine.’’ Mr. Kim said, shooting a smile Taeyong’s direction before turning his face to look at his actual employees. Jongin, Jooheon and Amber spiralled into their presentation, making use of the digital schoolboard and charts they had made while explaining.

Taeyong took notes vigorously, his entire mind focused on writing as fast as he could. He adapted to Amber’s speed of talking as soon as he met her, her ways of getting off track and back on track again with a soft smile on her face, so taking notes of her weren’t hard at all. Taeyong knew exactly how Jongin talked, not too slow and not too fast, and Jooheon wasn’t that hard to focus on either.

The CEO their comments were a different story. Every time Mr. Seo even as much as opened his mouth, Taeyong could feel his entire body burning up. He could feel himself clenching his legs even tighter as time went by, and before he knew it Jooheon was wrapping up.

‘’To increase stock investments we’re collaborating with the stocks department on making them more attractive to potential buyers and investors. We haven’t gotten the official okay yet from you, Mr. Kim, but we’re positive you’ll agree once you read our proposition.’’ Even though this was the first time Taeyong heard about such a thing, he wrote it down like his heart depended on it. He summarized the sentence, giving himself credit for not writing down unnecessary words, and turned his attention back to the meeting at hand.

Apart from the entire Mr. Seo situation, it had run smoothly. The CEO’s both seemed to agree with the ideas Jongin, Amber and Jooheon were putting on the table, offering criticism here and there but not much else. He could see the three alpha’s from his department relax by the minute, and Taeyong allowed himself to smile at that.

‘’I’ll look at the document and contracts later today. Expect a reply by tomorrow morning.’’ Mr. Kim smiled as he flipped another page in the booklet Jongin had given him. Taeyong didn’t know much of the inside information from the meeting, but he was aware that this was the last point that the media department wanted to discuss, and so Amber clasped her hands together and sighed.

‘’Was that all?’’ Mr. Seo asked, and Taeyong had to stop himself from letting out an abrupt moan. Instead, he looked down on the table and rapidly typed random letters into his notes to distract himself from the soothing voice the darn alpha seemed to possess.

‘’Yes, that was all, sir.’’ Jongin answered, and the two CEO’s nodded. The formal goodbye’s were said and Taeyong stood up, bowed to them before leaving with the three alpha’s he had arrived with. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, burning in his back, and it made Taeyong tremble to the core.

‘’Well that went surprisingly well, don’t you think?’’ Taeyong was pulled out of his misery, and weirdly enough pleasure, bit by bit as the four of them made their way through the corridors towards the elevators. The meeting room the meeting took place in was almost all the way at the top of the building, a few stories shy of being the highest floor.

Taeyong had been informed that the highest floor was where the CEO’s their offices were located, and some high end meeting rooms for when important business partners or investors came along. In his two weeks of working in the office, Taeyong had really only seen a handful of floors, going from the lobby to the media department and back, or using the bathroom or cafeteria. But as they stood in the elevator, Taeyong noticed that the building had a lot more to offer than just offices and departments.

There was a full blown restaurant, fancier than the cafeteria, Taeyong guessed, and multiple big halls he guessed served their purpose whenever a party or event took place in the building. Some took up multiple floors and Taeyong had to lean against the wall of the elevator as Amber continued on and on about what the entire building actually housed.

‘’there’s a few other tiny businesses under Mr. Kim and Mr. Seo their names which are housed here, not just SeoKim. We have guest offices, party halls -everything you could wish for, really-. I can’t believe you didn’t show Taeyong _anything_ when he got here, Jongin-ah!’’ Jongin rolled his eyes playfully and Taeyong chuckled, shaking his head. He was pretty sure he’d get massively overwhelmed if Jongin had done that on his first day.

‘’I was too lazy.’’ Jooheon let out a bark of laughter, resulting in Amber dramatically sighing. ‘’well, now you’ve seen everything.’’ The elevator made that familiar ‘ding’ noise, signalizing they had reached their destination, and slid open its doors.

The floor was significantly less lively than it had been when they had left over forty minutes ago, people slowly clearing out to go home before rush hour. A few desks were still occupied by employees typing their heart out, and Taeyong felt bad for them as he too, shut off his computer and put on his jacket.

He clutched the strap of Jungwoo’s bag in his hand, inhaling sharply before blowing the air out of his lungs again. Mr. Seo’s scent was far away now, not that present and consistent anymore, and he was glad. Even though his body seemed to react to Mr. Seo’s scent quite deliciously, Taeyong himself was still too confused to properly see things through.

He hadn’t spoken more than five sentences to the alpha in question. He didn’t even know his first name, for Christ sake, and yet his body _and_ mind seemed to yearn for the alpha like crazy. Mr. Seo’s scent made Taeyong feel comfortable, safe almost, and Taeyong couldn’t deny the fact that he liked that feeling of security, something he hadn’t ever felt.

‘’Ready to head home?’’ Jongin patted Taeyong’s shoulder, and the younger of the two nodded. They bid their goodbye’s to Amber and Jooheon, who decided to stay back for a little to discuss a website updated for one of the hotels in Dubai, and made their way to the lobby.

‘’I can walk down to the subway station myself.’’ Taeyong spoke up as Jongin still walked next to him even though the car park was in the opposite direction. Jongin shook his head at that, a soft smile on his face. ‘’I know, but my car is at the garage so I have to take the train too.’’ Taeyong nodded at that, and a comfortable silence fell over the two as they walked along the sidewalk.

‘’Mr. Seo seemed interested in you.’’ The words hit Taeyong like a ton of bricks, multiple blows to his chest catching him off guard. He stopped walking for a fraction of a second, hoping Jongin didn’t notice the blush spreading on his cheeks and down his neck. Taeyong had noticed it before, too, the amount of stares Mr. Seo was giving him during the meeting very obvious and not subtle.

To hear it from someone else, however, sparked Taeyong’s interest in Mr. Seo and his embarrassment. If Jongin had noticed, everyone else in the room must have noticed too. It sent Taeyong’s heart into overdrive, and before he knew it he was sure his heart would beat out of his chest any second.

‘’W-what do you mean?’’ Taeyong stuttered out, shooting a quick glance at Jongin. Jongin was looking at him too, a small smile on his face and something akin to fondness in his eyes. It made Taeyong look away.

‘’He was staring at you the entire meeting. It wasn’t subtle at all, either.’’ Taeyong almost choked on his own spit at that, because he hadn’t noticed that Mr. Seo’s eyes were on him for the _entirety_ of the meeting. He thought that the older alpha had, just like Taeyong, only casted a couple glances. He hadn’t been aware of the constant staring, even if he did feel the occasional burn of a pair of eyes on him.

‘’I guess?’’ Taeyong didn’t know where Jongin was going with his words at all, and he was left wondering as the alpha fell silent. As they went through the gates and stood waiting for the train, Jongin didn’t utter a word about it. It wasn’t until they were seated on the train did Taeyong open his mouth.

‘’Why does Mr. Seo wear gloves all the time?’’ if he had noticed it, even though it was belatedly, Taeyong was sure Jongin had noticed too. Jongin shrugged, and Taeyong felt a wave of disappointment hit him. ‘’I have no idea, actually. I have never seen him not wearing gloves.’’ Taeyong sighed at that.

It was strange, really, because he had never met anyone in his life that constantly wore gloves. Taeyong couldn’t actually say that Mr. Seo wore them all the time, but the moments he had seen the older alpha he had worn them and that was enough. Taeyong was curious of their purpose, but also somehow afraid to figure it out.

After ten minutes of driving, Jongin stood up and smiled. ‘’This is my stop! I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’’ Taeyong bid his goodbye’s and Jongin got off the train as it stopped at the station. Taeyong casted a look outside to see rather big houses along the railroad and further back in the streets he noticed kids playing.

A feeling of envy spread itself in his body, and before Taeyong knew it he was blinking back tears. He so badly wanted that. His own litter, his own pups to take care of. He wanted a _someone_ next to him as they both took care of their kids. He wanted so badly to have a stable future, to know where he would end up.

He was aiming for fashion journalist and dreaming of fashion designer, but Taeyong was aware he wasn’t even close to good enough for such a job. His designs would stay drawings forever and he’d have to deal with that and accept it sooner or later.

Taeyong watched as the train started driving again, the kids now behind the abundance of houses and no longer visible. He sat back in his seat and tried to relax as much as he could.

 

As Taeyong sat over dinner with his friends, he was bombarded by questions. After telling Yuta about the ‘elevator incident’ even though he didn’t want to at first, his entire friend group knew about the hot CEO that Taeyong worked for. It wasn’t often that his entire friend group could eat dinner together and usually Taeyong loved it, but as he sat in the campus cafeteria with his friends all asking him questions, he hated it.

A headache was forming, a soft lull of pain slowly growing into a full blown headache, and his work shift at the bar hadn’t even started yet.

‘’So you’re telling me he stared at you the whole time?’’ Jaehyun asked, taking a bite of rice before smirking at Taeyong. Taeyong rolled his eyes, but nodded. ‘’That he did. According to Jongin-hyung, anyway.’’ Sicheng giggled, shaking his head.

‘’I cannot believe you haven’t made a move yet! He’s rich, an alpha, what more could you possibly want?’’ Taeyong knew Sicheng was half joking, half serious, so all he did was shove the younger into Yuta’s shoulder. Yuta wrapped an arm around Sicheng’s shoulder disgustingly quick, and Taeyong groaned.

‘’It’s interesting though. Imagine you dating him! you could quit all your jobs.’’ Jungwoo commented, pointing his chopstick at Taeyong with a grin on his face. Taeyong blushed, shaking his head. ‘’first of all, I’d feel too guilty taking his money. Second of all, I’m not dating him!’’ Both Yukhei and Doyoung let out a chuckle in unison, and Taeyong scowled.

‘’What if though? What if he asks you out for a date or something?’’ Yukhei asked, leaning over the table to grab a spring roll before popping it into his mouth.

‘’Why would he do that?’’ Taeyong was genuinely confused. Why would Mr. Seo ask him out on a date without even knowing him?

‘’Speaking from my experience with alpha’s; they always get what they want. It’s clear that he’s set his eyes on you, all you have to do now is wait.’’ Doyoung said, and the entire table laughed except for Taeyong. He watched as his friends laughed and made jokes about him dating Mr. Seo, but all he could do was faintly smile.

Because for some reason, at the thought of dating Mr. Seo, his heart sped up. His entire body filled itself with a warmth Taeyong couldn’t quite place. The thought of kissing Mr. Seo crossed his mind and he felt himself clench his legs shut, a red shade of embarrassment now covering his cheeks.

‘’You’re blushing!’’ Yuta yelped out, pointing at Taeyong’s now red cheeks. Taeyong buried his face in his arms, shaking his head.

‘’Am not!’’

‘’So you’ve thought about dating Mr. Seo?’’ Jaehyun asked. Taeyong looked up at his friends again, eyeing them all for a second before shyly nodding.

‘’who wouldn’t? have you seen him? he’s like a fucking god on legs.’’ Taeyong muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His friends all burst out into laughter and this time, Taeyong felt himself smile too.

The thought of dating Mr. Seo was absolutely ridiculous, but one could daydream, right? He’d never be more than just that one intern to Mr. Seo, and as much as Taeyong knew he never had a chance with the alpha, he felt his heart pull sadly at the thought.

The conversation fell into a bit more casual chatter, everyone relaying their days working at their companies. It wasn’t until everyone stood up and walked out of the cafeteria, did Taeyong check the time. He had about an hour left till he’d have to make his way to the bar for his night shift and some exercises to finish for his communication class.

He walked into his dorm with Jungwoo and Yukhei in tow a few minutes later, eyeing his drawings on the wall as he got comfortable at his desk. While the couple in the room dropped themselves on the bed with soft whispers, Taeyong plugged in his headphones and grabbed a pen.

He’d rather continue the sketch of a particularly beautiful choker he had sketched a couple days back, but school was more important than that right now.

‘’Hey hyung?’’ Taeyong finished his sentence off really quickly before turning his head to look at Jungwoo and nodding.

‘’what time does your shift end?’’ Taeyong sighed and smiled, avoiding the worry in his roommates eyes before answering.

‘’it ends at five am.’’

‘’and you have to leave for your internship when?’’ Yukhei was the one to ask this time, and he too carried worry in his eyes that Taeyong avoided at all costs.

‘’around eight.’’

‘’Hyung that’s not even three hours of sleep.’’ Jungwoo commented, and Taeyong sighed.

‘’I’m painfully aware, woo.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The meeting!! Finally! They didn't talk much, sure, but that'll change trust me. Thank you so so much for reading! Make sure to leave what you thought in the comments, I love reading them haha.  
> see ya next week!
> 
> x D.
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	9. Chapter 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EARLY UPDATE hehehe  
> i feel so bad for not updating last week so I'm updating this a day early!! I hope you enjoy reading it and I'll see y'all next week :)
> 
> x D.

Taeyong cursed under his breath as he rushed into the elevator, slamming the button to the sixteenth floor as hard as he could. He heaved for breath, his lungs burning and his legs trembling from running towards the office from the station. It was only a couple blocks, but Taeyong possessed the stamina of a goldfish, and so his lungs were screaming at him.

The elevator doors closed, and Taeyong sighed as he threw himself against the wall, turning his back to it and tilting his head back. He raised his hand to check his watch, and cursed out loud this time. ‘’Fuck.’’ He whined, watching as his watch displayed the time. 9:20 am. He was twenty minutes late, again, due to his shift at the bar once again stretching out for too long. Taeyong was part of the reason himself, too, because he had slept through his alarm.

He was tired, absurdly so, and getting out of bed had proven to be a harder task than he had anticipated.

The doors slid open, and within seconds Taeyong rushed out, running onto the work floor as he clutched the strap of his backpack. This time it wasn’t Jungwoo’s, the younger wanting to use it himself today, but an old one from high school. It was a blue-ish colour, now faded due to the many years of usage, and it absolutely did not go with Taeyong’s work outfit, but it was fine.

Everything was fine.

Taeyong was under the firm impression that if he kept repeating that to himself, everything would be alright in the end. But, as he walked up to his desk and was met with no one other than Lu Amber leaning against it, mid conversation with Jongin, he didn’t believe it as much anymore.

‘’I’m so sorry!’’ Completely throwing a greeting out of the window, Taeyong opted for the single best option he could think of; apologize. Amber flinched and turned her head, startled. The smile on her face fell and was replaced by a frown. Taeyong felt his heart fall through his ass on the floor, and he had to supress a whimper as Amber stood up.

She was taller than him, but Taeyong never saw that as intimidating in any way. Now that she was standing in front of him, her arms crossed and her shoulders squared, Taeyong realized how much he had underestimated Amber’s status.

‘’You’re late.’’ Her voice didn’t sound mad, and for that Taeyong was grateful. He bowed his head unconsciously and nodded. ‘’I’m sorry, I overslept.’’ Amber made a noise of acknowledgment, but didn’t sound too pleased.

‘’Is there a particular reason for that, or?’’ Before Taeyong could even mutter a response, too busy frowning over the worry evident in her voice, Jongin opened his mouth.

‘’he works three jobs. I’m guessing you had work last night, didn’t you?’’ Taeyong clenched his eyes shut in frustration. He didn’t want Amber to know he worked that many jobs, even though it were only two now. He believed she’d render him uncapable of working at the office, for some odd reason.

He nodded, nonetheless, because no matter how much Taeyong didn’t want Amber to know he was working till the wee hours of the morning, Jongin was right.

‘’Three jobs?’’ Amber asked, and Taeyong shivered at the worry in her voice.

‘’Two now, actually.’’ He corrected her, and she sighed. She turned her body slightly so that Taeyong could put his things down, and he gratefully did so. He sat down at his desk, putting his bag down and carefully hanging up his coat around his seat, before turning back to her.

‘’Well, since this is only your second time being late, I’m going to let it slide,’’ Taeyong sighed in relief, his shoulders sagging as the tension that had built up ever since Amber opened her mouth a couple minutes ago dissipated.

‘’It’s not the reason I am here, anyway.’’ Immediately, Taeyong felt the tension return as quick as it had left. He turned to eye Jongin, his eyes blown wide, and he shrugged and shook his head. If Jongin didn’t even know what was going on, it must be bad. He turned to look at Amber again, who was fumbling with her phone now.

‘’This, is the reason I am here. Let me read it to you,’’ Taeyong straightened in his seat, and he could see Jongin lean in closer out of the corner of his eye. Amber cleared her throat, ‘’Good morning Amber, it has been brought to my attention that Lee Taeyong is now a part of your department. I would like to request him to come by my office on Monday at three pm.’’

Taeyong let the words sink in for a second before his eyes widened. Mr. Seo wanted to see him? In private? In his office? The immediate stress that filled his body was clearly sensible in his change of pheromones, because he sensed Jongin tense up. Taeyong was sure that even Amber tensed up for a second, but quickly pulled herself back together.

A few heads turned in their direction, the sudden change of pheromones in the air clearly noticeable to others on the floor as well, and Taeyong blushed as he ducked his head down.

‘’What did you do?’’ Amber proceeded to ask, pocketing her phone again. She put her weight on Taeyong’s desk by leaning on her two hands, and Taeyong gulped at how close she was all of a sudden.

‘’N-nothing.’’ He shook his head in disdain, hoping that Amber would believe him.

‘’The only time he could’ve done anything was right after the presentation. I walked with him to the station, he didn’t do anything.’’ Taeyong was grateful to Jongin for defending him, even though he knew deep inside that Amber really didn’t think Taeyong had done anything, she was just making sure.

‘’Why would he want to speak to you, then?’’ She questioned, leaning back again and standing up. Taeyong was grateful for the personal space, and shook his head firmly.

‘’He’s an omega. I think you can fill in the rest.’’

 

Taeyong rolled over in his bed and grunted, his body feeling like complete and utter waste. He felt as if there were two thousand pound weights holding him down to his mattress, the ever growing exhaustion in his body hitting an all time high.

It was an exercise of it’s own, reaching for his phone that is, and he unlocked it with trembling hands. Taeyong felt his eyes widen at the time, but he couldn’t react properly. His morning Communication lecture had already started, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

He was so tired. His legs felt like bricks, unmovable even if he desperately wanted them to. Taeyong sighed, turning his face to look around the room. Jungwoo’s side was an organised chaos, like always after the younger had gotten ready, and he smiled fondly.

Taeyong knew exactly why Jungwoo hadn’t woken him up when he was getting ready. The firm words the younger had spoken to him last night were clear as day, the worry in his voice and actions growing by the hour. Taeyong felt guilty for worrying his friends. It reminded him of the days back at the orphanage.

It was indescribable. The sudden urge to cry, but no tears came. The sudden urge to scream, but no noise came. The sudden urge to curse the world and all of it’s unfairness, but all he could do was lick his lips, turn around in his bed and close his eyes.

He let his thought process run wild. From the orphanage, to the day he presented, the day he got kicked out and the day he got accepted into university after a year of hard work for money stability. He let Mr. Seo enter his mind, the memory of his scent wrapping around him like a blanket.

Taeyong remembered the day he presented like it was yesterday. It wasn’t a surprise, him presenting as an omega. Everyone he knew had guessed it, and Taeyong’s favourite care taker, a nice lady called Chun Hei, had prepared a separate room for the week Taeyong was estimated to present. The estimation had been right and Taeyong had presented, the first few days extremely unbearable.

He couldn’t see Yuta for the entirety of that week, neither could he go to school. It was absolute hell for Taeyong, and after it was over he was ready to take on the world again like he used to. But, becoming an omega had its down falls. The kids who had presented as alpha’s or beta’s already were onto him from the day he got back to school, making Taeyong feel weak and useless. Once Yuta presented, however, he became Taeyong’s guardian angel at school. Yuta was always there for him.

He sighed in comfort, clenching his eyes as hard as he could. He thought of Yuta, the boy who pulled him out of bed time and time again in high school. He thought of the way the Japanese boy would worry, spending the days Taeyong couldn’t come to school writing over notes for him, later on visiting the boy in the orphanage, trying to take Taeyong’s attention away from his misery even if it was just for a second, a minute or an hour.

It was silent in Taeyong’s dorm, the only noise coming from the very rare student walking in the hallway. Taeyong listened as their footsteps came and faded away, leaving him empty. It had been a while since he had a morning like this, unable to get out of bed even though his brain screamed he had to. His body simply refusing to cooperate.

The last time he had it was in his second year of college, a couple weeks before the last finals week. Everyone was stressing out, Taeyong included. It was a haze of non-stop studying, working and repeating. One day, Taeyong’s body decided it had been enough.

Not even Jungwoo had been able to pull him out of bed, to at least get changed or eat something. It took a couple hours before Taeyong managed to eat a cracker Jungwoo had given him, and while Jungwoo studied his heart out in the dorms, assuring Taeyong it had been okay, Taeyong knew it wasn’t okay.

Yuta had called and Taeyong had managed to get out of bed for that, taking a long walk around campus with Yuta before dinner. It was refreshing, and it helped.

But now, with Yuta and Jungwoo in class, Taeyong knew he wasn’t getting out of bed anytime soon. He was shackled to his bed, his legs still heavy and his chest weighing down onto the mattress.

Taeyong eyed the glass of water on his bed side table and swallowed, his throat scruffy. He reached out a shaky hand, eventually managing to take a sip of water and putting the glass back down.  He checked his phone, groaning when only about thirty minutes had passed, and closed his eyes.

He was awoken by Jungwoo entering the room a couple hours later, another scent he recognized all too well entering the room too. Taeyong frowned, Yuta wasn’t allowed to be in the Omega building.  

‘’Morning, sleepy head.’’ Jungwoo’s voice was cheerful, but Taeyong could sense a small sliver of worry as an undertone, and he sighed. He sat up, for the first time in hours, and waved at the duo now standing in the room.

‘’Yuta?’’ Taeyong hadn’t talked all day, his voice rough and throat sore. Yuta smiled at him before making his way over, dropping down on Taeyong’s bed with ease. Jungwoo got settled on the floor right in front of Taeyong’s bed, and the eldest of them felt his heart thumb in his chest with love.

‘’we explained the situation to the security guard. He said I could be up here for about thirty minutes and that if I was one second late he’d run upstairs and throw me out.’’ Taeyong smiled and shook his head, laughing at his best friends antics.

‘’You should really work on getting that card thingy, I think Sicheng-hyung would really appreciate that.’’ Yuta groaned, grabbing one of Taeyong’s many pillows and throwing them at the younger. Jungwoo dodged it, laughing.

‘’I sent my request in a couple weeks ago! The college board just hates me!’’ He whined, turning his head to look at Taeyong. Taeyong smiled, hoping it would reach his eyes, but of course his friends noticed that it didn’t.

‘’what’s up, buttercup?’’ Taeyong shrugged, not really knowing how to answer that question. ‘’I’m tired.’’ Is all he said, dropping back down onto his pillow and closing his eyes. He felt Yuta reaching out and a hand on his hair, and he relaxed the slightest bit as Yuta started petting it.

‘’we figured. But what else is going on?’’ Taeyong didn’t have the heart and soul to tell his friends that he felt absolutely miserable for no apparent reason. He was aware there were multiple underlying reasons as to why he felt this way, but Taeyong didn’t want to acknowledge them all. Telling his friends meant that they were real.

‘’I just don’t feel good.’’ He muttered, and he heard Yuta sigh. ‘’Is it the Mr. Seo thing.’’ Jungwoo always managed to be spot on when it came to Taeyong’s feelings, and this time was no exception. Taeyong nodded, giving in to his internal struggle to keep his mouth shut.

‘’It’s all so strange. I feel so comfortable around him, and yet whenever I see him all I can do is whimper and blush. I’ve never even talked to him properly, and yet it feels like I’ve known him for ages. I don’t know what to do. And then there’s the fact that he wants to see me in his office on Monday.’’ His friends listened, and Taeyong appreciated it. He appreciated their loving hearts that he sure as hell didn’t deserve but was so grateful for, and he appreciated the way Jungwoo had started caressing his calf through his sheets and how Yuta was still petting his hair.

With the way that Taeyong’s eyes were closed, he missed his two friends sharing a look. Jungwoo raised his eyebrows at Yuta, but the older shook his head before turning back to Taeyong. ‘’The meeting will be fine. He probably just wants to talk business to you.’’

‘’It could be a meeting he does with all the interns?’’ Taeyong felt his heart sink at Jungwoo’s words for a reason he couldn’t quite find. Why would it be a bad thing if Taeyong wasn’t the only one Mr. Seo wanted to talk to?

‘’As for the comfortable thing.. You told us about his scent? Maybe he just has a weirdly comforting scent?’’ Jungwoo poked Yuta in the leg, obviously wanting some sort of conformation from the boy that was supposed to calm Taeyong down, but he noticed it.

‘’That’s not a thing, though.’’ Taeyong retorted before Yuta could even do as much as open his mouth. The Japanese boy pouted in defeat. ‘’and besides, why would I be the only one affected by it?’’

‘’Hyung, that office is filled with alpha’s and beta’s. You know that beta’s can’t smell scents like we do, and alpha’s probably react more aggressively towards Mr. Seo’s scent. I’m pretty sure other omega’s that aren’t mated would react the same exact way to him as you do.’’

For some reason, Taeyong highly doubted that. He had never heard something even remotely close to his story from another omega, and he desperately wanted to know why he was the only one reacting this way.

‘’Or, he’s your soulmate?’’ Yuta’s words were soft, barely above a whisper. Taeyong managed to hear them clearly, and so did Jungwoo. Taeyong watched Jungwoo tense up the slightest bit, both of them knowing how sensitive this topic was to Taeyong, and he frowned.

‘’You both know I don’t have a soulmate.’’

‘’The only stories I’ve heard of omega’s reacting to an alpha’s scent like you keep doing with Mr. Seo is if they were soulmates. It’s the way I reacted to Yukhei, and the way Sicheng-hyung probably reacted to Yuta-hyung.’’ Yuta nodded to confirm Jungwoo’s words, and the older of the two frowned. Taeyong shook his head, folding his hands atop the duvet with a frown.

‘’He’s not my soulmate.’’ Yuta and Jungwoo both knew this was the end of the conversation, Taeyong guessed, because Jungwoo stood up from his spot on the floor to grab his bag that he had dumped at the door.

‘’We got you food, since we kind of expected that you hadn’t eaten anything.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes, but gratefully took the sushi that Jungwoo handed him. ‘’What time is it?’’ He asked, his mouth full with rice and cooked salmon.

Yuta chuckled, shaking his head. He checked his phone, before turning back to him. ‘’About three in the afternoon.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at that, chewing his piece of sushi as fast as he could. ‘’Shit! I have work in two hours!’’ He had homework to finish before his shift started, and he knew it would take him longer than two hours.

Yuta, however, shook his head firmly. ‘’You’re not working today.’’ Taeyong gasped, shaking his head too. ‘’I have to! I need the tips now more than any other time.’’ Taeyong could see Jungwoo hesitate, eyeing Yuta before turning back to look at Taeyong.

‘’do you really thing working would be the best idea right now?’’ Yuta smacked Jungwoo’s shoulder, groaning at the lack of support his decision was getting. Taeyong nodded, a piece of cucumber sushi in his mouth. ‘’I don’t think so.’’ Yuta was resolute, and Taeyong hated it.

He knew his best friend was right. Working wouldn’t help him in any way, only financially. He was tired, exhausted to the bone, and his mentality wasn’t in the right place for him to work, but Taeyong also knew he needed the money desperately.

‘’You can go.’’ Jungwoo’s words came before Yuta’s did, and the older boy shook his head. Jungwoo stopped him from saying anything by placing his hand on Yuta’s mouth. His expression was fierce, dark almost, something Taeyong wasn’t used to seeing from Jungwoo, when the boy turned to him.

‘’On the condition that when you start to not feel good, you tell your boss and you come _home._ Understood?’’ Taeyong knew the two people in front of him were younger than him, and he knew he could easily overstep their words and just do what he felt was necessary, but he also knew that they had their heart in the right place. Taeyong knew they were right, so he nodded.

‘’understood.’’ Jungwoo sighed, and Taeyong could see Yuta wanted to protest again, but kept quiet about it. Taeyong munched on his sushi as Yuta and Jungwoo relayed their days back to him, cracking jokes and trying to lift Taeyong’s sore mood.

By the time the clock reached four and Taeyong had to start getting ready for work, his heart didn’t feel as heavy anymore and his legs weren’t chained to the bed in exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu (leave a nice message on cc, prompts or ask questions! you can do it all i'm lonely)
> 
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> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)  
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>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)  
> 


	10. Chapter 10.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its ya boy  
> skinny penis   
> back at it again with the early updates

There was no way around it. Taeyong couldn’t go back. He couldn’t walk down the corridor, away from the heavy wooden door that he was standing in front of and pretend like nothing was wrong. Because someone in there was waiting for him. And it wasn’t just someone, it was Mr. Seo.

That, and the fact that Amber and Jongin were both waiting for him downstairs, eager to know why Mr. Seo would want Taeyong to visit his office.

Taeyong looked around, scanning the area around him. The big windows adorning the walls showed the beautiful sight of Seoul from the highest view Taeyong was sure he’d ever see. It didn’t calm him down though, the pheromones coming from the room in front of him and Taeyong’s own nerves wreaking his body havoc.

He was nowhere near ready. Taeyong had been standing at the door for over three minutes, raising his hand to the wood and dropping it every few seconds or so, his nerves taking over his mind.

‘’What are you doing?’’ A voice Taeyong had never heard before interrupted him from raising his hand for what seemed to be the thousandth time, and he turned to look who had said anything. Taeyong’s eyes widened as a man, tall but very slim, walked up to him, coming from the other side of the corridor.

Taeyong gulped, scanning the man’s physique to be that of an alpha’s. But, as he inhaled and was greeted with a sweet scent seeping into his system, Taeyong wasn’t so sure anymore. Other omega’s scents didn’t have that much of an impact on other omega’s, only if one of them was in heat. This meant that this man was clearly not an alpha, nor a beta.

‘’Hello?’’ The man stopped in front of Taeyong, and Taeyong looked up at him before swallowing thickly. ‘’I-I,’’ Taeyong cursed himself internally for stuttering, ‘’Mr.Seo wanted to see me?’’ at that, the other man seemed to brighten up. A smile spread on his face and almost immediately the tense atmosphere was gone, leaving an almost comfortable air in its wake.

‘’So you’re the Lee Taeyong!’’ Taeyong had absolutely no idea what that meant, or how the other man knew his name. it was quite unsettling, to say the least, but it also made Taeyong curious and a sliver of pride made its way into his features. Mr. Seo had been talking about him? it should sound creepy, and quite honestly Taeyong didn’t know why he wasn’t freaked out at this new information, but the fact that Mr. Seo was talking about him to other people was flattering to him, in the weirdest of ways.

‘’I’m Lee Taeyong, yes. Nice to meet you,’’ Taeyong trailed off, hoping the stranger would get the hint. The man smiled and stretched out his hand, ‘’I’m Oh Sehun, nice to meet you.’’ Taeyong eye’s widened, recognizing the name from a conversation he had had with Jongin.

Sehun was Mr. Kim’s mate. All of Taeyong’s questions about why there was another omega in the building dissipated, and now he was just left wondering what Sehun was doing at the office when he clearly didn’t work here.

It didn’t cross his mind that he could have just been visiting his mate.

‘’What did you mean when you said, _the_ Lee Taeyong?’’ Sehun’s eyes widened at that and the older lost his composure for a split second before rearranging himself, straightening his back. Sehun turned to look at his wrist, a watch probably worth more than Taeyong’s entire net-worth times fourteen, and he gasped.

‘’Gosh would you look at the time? I have to, uhm, do the laundry!’’ Taeyong let Sehun shake his hand and watched as the clearly distraught omega made a b-line towards the elevators. To say Taeyong was confused was an understatement.

What did Sehun mean by _the_ Lee Taeyong? And why was he reacting to Taeyong’s question so weirdly? Taeyong shook his head, turning back to the door in front of him with a heavy sigh. It was now or never.

With the words of encouragement the group chat had texted him this morning, Taeyong knocked on the door quietly. At first, he didn’t hear anything, the soft noises of other people on the floor somewhere Taeyong couldn’t see all that filled his ears. He was about to knock again, his knees shaking and his heart beating in his chest like crazy until he heard a voice.

‘’Come in.’’ Taeyong shivered at the tone. It was strict, powerful and incredibly _alpha._ It had his knees buckling for a second, his eyes closing as the strong scent hit him fully. He sighed, shaking his head to try and clear it, managing to reduce his state to a hazy mind and shaking legs.

Taeyong inhaled sharply once more, taking a deep breather before pushing the door knob down and slowly opening the door.

Theoretically speaking, Taeyong had nothing to be nervous about. His boss just asked him to come to his office, and Taeyong knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Taeyong, however, couldn’t relax. Not even when he opened the door to Mr. Seo’s office fully and was greeted with the man himself, seated in his desk chair with a smile on his face.

Immediately, Taeyong felt himself blush and his heart strings pull tighter. Mr. Seo’s smile was lovely, to say the least, and Taeyong wondered whether or not he smiled like this often.

‘’G-good afternoon, s-sir. You wanted to speak t-to me?’’ Taeyong wanted the ground to swallow him whole, cheeks aflame with embarrassment. He was one hundred percent aware that Mr. Seo could sense the change in his pheromones as the CEO turned to the trembling omega, and Taeyong was ashamed of himself.

‘’I did, yes. Take a seat.’’ Mr. Seo’s voice was low and soothing, and a wave of comfortableness hit Taeyong like a truck. He frowned, remembering Yuta’s words from Friday. He shook his head, he didn’t have a soulmate. This was just very, very unconventional.

Taeyong made to walk over to the chair in front of Mr. Seo, taking a seat on the comfortable leather chair. He didn’t let himself relax, couldn’t relax even if he wanted to, because Mr. Seo’s gaze was harsh, almost, and it left Taeyong trembling in his seat.

‘’How have you experienced your internship so far?’’ The tone in his voice had Taeyoung doubting whether or not this was actually why he was here, something close to disinterest hidden behind Mr. Seo’s smile. His smile was beautiful, like any other thing about him, and Taeyong cursed himself for being such a weak man.

Nonetheless, Taeyong decided answering was the best way to go. ‘’It’s been interesting. Jongin-hyung and Amber-noona have helped me a lot.’’ Mr. Seo frowned, and Taeyong tensed up. Had he said something wrong? He was about to open his mouth and apologize for whatever he had said that could’ve upset the alpha in front of him, but Taeyong was stopped by Mr. Seo opening his mouth instead.

‘’Are you that close with him?’’ this time, it was Taeyong’s turn to frown. Mr. Seo’s voice sounded awfully annoyed, hinting the edge of possessiveness. Taeyong blushed, burying his hands under his thighs. He was aware of Mr. Seo’s eyes on him. The fact that Mr. Seo only addressed his relationship with Jongin had Taeyong’s hairs on the back of his neck stand up, mild irritation bubbling up in his stomach.

‘’I’m pretty close with them both, they told me to call them by their first names.’’ Taeyong wasn’t in the wrong in any way, and he knew that. Jongin and Amber had been the ones to tell Taeyong to call them by their first name on both occasions, therefore Taeyong was innocent at best. For some reason, though, he felt as if though he had done something incredibly wrong by the way Mr. Seo almost scowled.

‘’alright.’’ As if nothing happened, the atmosphere changed and Taeyong felt like he could breath again. The changes in Mr. Seo’s pheromones were giving him whiplash, and Taeyong was sure if this meeting would take longer than thirty minutes he’d faint simply because of Mr. Seo’s enticing scent.

‘’I am glad your experiences here have been good.’’ Taeyong nodded, acknowledging Mr. Seo’s words. He was about to believe Jungwoo’s words that this meeting was something Mr. Seo did with every intern in the company, right until the point Mr. Seo leant in a little bit.

He placed his elbows on the desk, intertwining his hands and leaning forward just a tad bit. Taeyong felt Mr. Seo’s scent engulf him and for a second he had to close his eyes and calm himself down. There was no doubt in Taeyong’s mind that Mr. Seo knew exactly what he was doing. It was simultaneously annoying as it was enjoyable, and Taeyong couldn’t complain even if he wanted to.

‘’I have a question to ask you.’’ Taeyong eyed the gloves still tightly wrapped around Mr. Seo’s hands, and he wondered what his hands would look like without them. This time, the gloves matched the black of the alpha’s suit, soft looking material wrapped around his long fingers.

The omega froze in his seat at Mr. Seo’s words, chewing on his bottom lip to calm his nerves. Mr. Seo kept quiet for a few moments, clearly thinking of the right words to say. Taeyong’s leg started bouncing up and down, the funny feeling he got from just looking at Mr. Seo in his gut arising again as the man laid his eyes on Taeyong once more.

‘’A charity gala is being held next week, on Friday. I wanted to ask you to accompany me to the event.’’ Now, of all things Taeyong had thought of while being distracted at work this morning, of all the things he had expected while trying to sleep or mulled over while doing school work; this wasn’t it.

Why him? Taeyong was beyond confused as he sat in the chair, letting Mr. Seo’s words fall over him like waves hitting the shore. A charity event? Wasn’t that extremely formal and only for people associated with the charity? Taeyong wasn’t associated with any charity, as far as he knew, nor was he in any way shape or form fit to accompany one of the richest men and most sought after bachelor in South Korea to such an event.

Disregarding that, Taeyong felt his chest bloom with heat, a blush once again covering his cheeks. He felt honoured, incredibly honoured, to have even crossed Mr. Seo’s mind while the older was thinking of potential dates to the event. He felt his heart rate speed up and every fibre of Taeyong’s being wanted to say yes, no matter how weird the situation was.

He barely knew Mr. Seo, a handful of interactions in their history, and Taeyong was painfully aware that accompanying Mr. Seo to the event would result in him being on all sorts of tabloids, becoming a part of a new scandal he’d have to write about later.

Clearly, Mr. Seo sensed the change in Taeyong’s behaviour, because he unclasped his hands and leaned back in his seat with a soft smile playing on his lips. ‘’I know it’s an odd request. You can think about it for a couple of days, but I would like your answer on Wednesday.’’

‘’I-I’ll th-think about it, Mr. S-seo.’’ Taeyong stuttered and for some odd reason Mr. Seo smiled at him, quite fondly, and Taeyong felt himself relax ever so slightly. It was a weird request, sure, but Taeyong was sure Mr. Seo had his reasons for asking _him_ in particular, and he felt special for being asked.

Taeyong liked feeling special.

‘’Please, call me Youngho.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened, but he nodded. A silence fell over them for a few moments, before Taeyong stood up. He was sure Jongin and Amber were sitting at his desk, waiting for him to return from Youngho’s office,  and he didn’t want to worry them any more than he already had.

‘’I’ll give you my answer on Wednesday, Youngho-hyung.’’ Youngho stood up with Taeyong and nodded at him, and he held up his hand for Taeyong to shake. Without thinking, Taeyong took his hand, and he was hit with a sudden warmth. Youngho’s hands were incredibly warm and Taeyong frowned. It was probably just the gloves and he was putting too much thought into it, the words of his best friends ringing in his ears, but he shook the hand and pulled away as quick as he could any way.

Taeyong bowed his head, allowing himself to inhale one more time to sneakily fill his nose with Youngho’s incredible scent, before turning around and making his way out of the office.

 

‘’And?’’ Taeyong hadn’t even walked up to his desk as Amber ambushed him right after stepping out of the elevator. He felt as if though he was about to collapse on his own feet, finally released from the pure agony but also pleasure that was Youngho’s pheromones and scent. Amber frowned as Taeyong didn’t answer. He walked up to his desk, plopped down in his chair and put his head on the table, letting out a groan.

He could hear Jongin snicker from his own spot at his desk, and Taeyong grumbled before raising his head again. ‘’so what happened?’’ Jongin asked, turning his computer screen away so he could clearly focus on Taeyong. Taeyong relaxed significantly, going as far as shooting Jongin, and eventually Amber as she sat down on his desk, a smile.

‘’Well,’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, thinking of the best way to word Youngho’s question without it making it sound incredibly weird. It wasn’t everyday that an incredibly handsome and rich alpha asked Taeyong out to a very fancy charity event, the fact that he didn’t actually know much about said alpha making the whole situation a tad bit weirder.

But, for some odd reason, the pride and adoration Taeyong was experiencing due to being asked out by Youngho, was significantly heavier than all the alarm bells going off in his head. Taeyong was sure Yuta would force him to go, throwing him in the car and taking Taeyong to the event himself if he had to.

‘’He asked me to a charity event next week?’’ it was more of a question than an answer, but he could feel the atmosphere change. Hell, even a blind and deaf person could have felt the way Jongin’s smile dropped ever so slightly, or the way Amber’s body grew rigid for a bit.

‘’he did what now?’’ Jongin was the first to speak, almost immediately after Amber had jumped off of Taeyong’s desk to fully look at him. Taeyong guessed their reactions were justified, but he couldn’t say he liked the way Jongin’s eyes got smaller and the way Amber was radiating worry.

‘’He asked me to a charity event next week.’’ This time, Taeyong answered his question more firmly. For a second, Jongin eyed him with something akin to anger in his eyes, before the emotion dissipated as soon as it had shown up.

‘’that’s an interesting turn of events.’’ It was the first thing Amber had said in a couple minutes, which was quite unusual for the female alpha, and Jongin nodded. Taeyong agreed, because it _was_ an interesting turn of events, but he didn’t like the way Jongin was looking at him.

Jongin was looking at Taeyong as if he was a child, someone he had to take care of, and it made Taeyong bristle. He didn’t _need_ to be taken care of. He had done it by himself for over twenty three years, he was sure he could manage this just fine.

‘’Hyung? Why are you looking at me as if I’m four years old?’’ Taeyong knew it was bold to ask, bordering rude and bratty, but he really didn’t like the way this  was going. Jongin sighed, shaking his head before smiling again.

‘’I just don’t want him to take advantage of you.’’ Taeyong frowned. How could Youngho possibly take advantage of him?

Amber seemed to agree, nodding along to Jongin’s words.

‘’How?’’

‘’Because, no matter what happens, you’re still an omega. I- let me finish, Taeyong.’’ Taeyong sighed, sitting back in his seat as Jongin stopped him from interrupting his words. ‘’I know you can handle yourself, you’ve proven that on multiple occasions while working here. I’m aware that you won’t do anything you don’t like, but I’ve seen and heard about some terrible things alpha’s who held power have done to innocent omega’s, and I just don’t want that to happen to you.’’

There was a certain level of vulnerability in Jongin’s voice that had Taeyong rethinking the whole situation. As he eyed Jongin, waiting for the older to continue, he felt himself grow guilty. Jongin didn’t say anything, but Amber walked around his desk and placed a comforting hand on the alpha’s shoulder.

‘’just because Kyungsoo went through that doesn’t mean Taeyong will go through the same.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at that, and immediately he felt the guilt tightening his airways. ‘’I’m sorry Jongin-hyung, I didn’t know..’’ Taeyong still wasn’t sure what had happened to Kyungsoo, but by the way Amber was looking at Jongin and the way Jongin was looking at Taeyong with worry in his eyes, he assumed the absolute worst.

‘’Don’t be sorry, you couldn’t have known. To be clear, Kyungsoo wasn’t used or anything. His old boss just, did some questionable things to him just because he’s an omega.’’ Jongin seemed to get angrier the more he talked about it, and Amber mentioned for him to calm down.

‘’I’ll think my actions through, don’t worry about me.’’ Taeyong knew it was futile to say those words, because Jongin clearly had trouble believing them due to his experience. Amber, however, nodded at Taeyong.

‘’we know you’ll be careful and I know personally that Mr. Seo isn’t that type of alpha in the slightest. If you do say yes, which by the smile on your face when you walked in I’m going to assume you’re going to do, just be careful around all those other alpha’s at the event.’’ Taeyong nodded at Amber’s words, before eyeing the clock on the wall a few meters behind him.

It was five minutes before three, and his work shift at the club started early today.   

‘’You can go home now, Taeyong. There’s nothing you can do in these next five minutes anyway.’’ Jongin chuckled as Taeyong got up, and he smiled gratefully before grabbing his stuff. He left with a bow and a smile, making his way to the station with a skip in his step.

After he managed to grab a seat on the train, he grabbed his phone.

‘’ _Yuta speaking?_ ’’ Taeyong smiled as his best friends voice entered his ears. He felt like telling Yuta first was the right thing to do. ‘’Hey, it’s Taeyong.’’ He listened as Yuta shifted for a second, before humming. ‘’ _how’d the meeting go?_ ’’

‘’surprisingly well..’’ Taeyong moved in his seat as a male clad in a suit stood up, getting off the train at the station they were at.

‘’ _what did he want?_ ’’ Just like with Jongin and Amber earlier, Taeyong was trying to find the right words that wouldn’t immediately tick off his best friend, but make him excited for him. Then again, this was Yuta. Yuta who supported everything Taeyong did.

‘’He asked me to a charity event next week.’’ There was a beat of silence on the other line, and for a second Taeyong thought Yuta was going to get angry. But, right before Taeyong could ask whether or not everything was alright, he heard a rustle on the phone.

‘’ _That’s.. unexpected to say the least. What did you tell him?_ ’’ A wave of relief hit Taeyong, the approval of his best friend meaning everything to him and more. A lady sat next to Taeyong on the train and he smiled at her, her flowery scent subtle as she smiled back.

‘’Youngho-hyung told me to think about it. He did say he wants my answer by Wednesday.’’

‘’ _you’re on first name basis already? Damn hyung, look at you go!_ ’’ Taeyong chuckled at his friends antics before shifting in his seat the slightest bit. He could hear Yuta moving around before speaking up again. ‘’ _it’s good he’s giving you time to think, though-_ ‘’ Taeyong could hear something incoherent being shouted at Yuta, Yuta groaning right after.

‘’ _alright my coffee break is over, you have work tonight right?_ ’’ Taeyong nodded, before realizing Yuta couldn’t see him. ‘’yeah, my shift starts at five thirty.’’ He could hear Yuta sigh and rolled his eyes.

‘’ _Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Don’t overwork yourself, alright?_ ’’ He managed to convince Yuta he wouldn’t, and hung up after assuring his best friend he’d come by the alpha dormitories tomorrow afternoon.

 

Taeyong slipped his headphones onto his ears as he closed the door to dorm, locking it with the code before making his way down the corridor. After having informed the rest of the group about Youngho’s question while getting ready for his shift at the bar, Taeyong hadn’t really thought about it.

He stepped into the elevator and was greeted with some other students. He smiled at them, pressing the button for the doors to close.

Taeyong was one hundred percent aware that this was a weird situation. What was even weirder was the fact that the smallest sliver of him had the mind to say no, while the rest of his body was thrumming with excitement to say yes.

He had a skip in his step and was sure he was smiling as he walked into the bar, greeting Yixing already setting up the mixing station and cleaning the counter with a wave and a smile.

‘’cheery today, aren’t we?’’ Taeyong nodded, turning around to walk backwards as he made his way to the back door. ‘’very, hyung!’’ Yixing chuckled and shook his head. Taeyong turned back around as he walked through the door, dropping his bag and relaxing his shoulders.

The weirder the better, right? Or so Sicheng would say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)
> 
> hmu:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	11. Chapter 11.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! there was some doubt whether or not I was going to update today or not due to some issues, but I'm here!!

Taeyong had always followed the rules, not once done anything that was remotely out of line or spontaneous. So for him to stand in front of Youngho’s office once again on a Wednesday morning, the answer to accompanying said alpha to a charity event the week after carefully thought through in his head, was an odd experience.

Taeyong was excited, sure. He was finally doing something fun, exciting. He was thrilled, but also terrified. He would be stepping into a whole new world, even if it was just for a night, and it felt weird for it to be a one night thing only. But, for once in his life, Taeyong didn’t care.

He had already informed Yixing he couldn’t work the night of the event and had already notified his friends about the whole ordeal, the only thing left now was actually revealing his answer to Youngho. And it was save to say Taeyong was nervous.

He didn’t really know how to describe what he was feeling as he stood at Youngho’s office door once again, his legs shaking and his mind hazy as he inhaled. He noticed a different scent other than Youngho’s seeping through the door, and he frowned as he barely recognized it to be Sehun’s. Why was the omega in there?

Before Taeyong allowed himself to scurry off with his imaginary tail in between his legs, he knocked on the door. A silence followed, and for a few seconds Taeyong thought he might have arrived at a wrong time, until he heard a voice.

‘’come in!’’ Taeyong closed his eyes for a second, allowing himself to take a couple deep breaths before opening the door. He was met with Sehun seated on the chair Taeyong had sat on roughly a day ago, and Youngho smiling at him from behind his desk.

This time, Taeyong noticed the way Youngho’s office was decorated. It wasn’t what he had expected, in the slightest. He had expected harsh lines, sleek furniture and no personal trinkets. The sleek furniture was still there, black leather chairs and a glass desk, big bookcases with files neatly placed inside. The harsh lines were still there, not a thing out of place -which was extremely satisfying to Taeyong- but personal trinkets were in place.

Taeyong let his eyes scan over picture frames, souvenirs which looked to be from all over the world and small decorative pieces around the room. The man had a rubik’s cube on his desk, for Christ sake.

For some odd reason, this relaxed Taeyong. Youngho was a regular human being, not a man made of steel who showed no emotions.

‘’Hello?’’ Taeyong squeaked out, taking a tentative step inside the office room. Sehun shifted in his seat before standing up. Taeyong couldn’t see the face he pulled at Youngho before walking towards the door. As he passed Taeyong, he gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. ‘’good luck.’’ He spoke, before dashing out of the office and to the left.

Taeyong grew rigid almost immediately, turning his face from the door to look at Youngho again. ‘’Sehuh-hyung just thinks he’s funny.’’ Taeyong couldn’t help but smile at the fondness in Youngho’s eyes. He assumed the two were good friends from the way they interacted, and it just further confirmed Taeyong was completely overreacting to the whole thing because Youngho wasn’t a man without emotions.

‘’Take a seat.’’ Taeyong listened to Youngho’s order on auto pilot, seating himself on the chair Sehun was previously sitting on.

‘’How are you?’’ The genuine interest in Youngho’s tone of voice shocked Taeyong just a little, but then he remembered why he was there in the first place. Youngho hadn’t invited him for no reason. He chose Taeyong. Taeyong felt something pull in his chest at the thought, and he smiled to himself.

‘’a bit tired, but good.’’ Taeyong was tired, almost late for work again due to his morning shift at the café. The fact that he had stayed up finishing some work for school and working on a sketch simultaneously last night didn’t help either. ‘’you?’’ This was supposed to be an awkward conversation, small talk till Taeyong was ready to spill his answer, but there wasn’t any awkward tension, nor uncomfortableness anywhere in the room or Taeyong’s body.

Once again, he was reminded of Yuta’s words.

‘’I’m good. I have a busy day today, though.’’ Taeyong eyed Youngho’s face for any kind of stress, but the man seemed perfectly fine. This was irritating, because Taeyong was sure if _he_ had been the one running a business that was in the top ten biggest businesses across the world, he would have collapsed on the spot.

Youngho looked calm, collected. As if he wasn’t aware that right now about a dozen articles were being written about who Youngho supposedly was dating, what he was doing or what the business’ future entailed. Taeyong guessed he was used to it all, trained to pretend like he didn’t care.

Maybe he didn’t care and Taeyong was just being irrational.

‘’Should I come back another time?’’ Before Taeyong could even more, Youngho shook his head. ‘’No, it’s fine. What you have to say is more important, any way.’’ Taeyong felt his cheeks heat up at Youngho’s obvious flirty remark, and shook his head. His heart was too weak for this.

‘’I came by to say yes.’’ Taeyong was proud of himself as he said the words without so much as a stutter or a waver in his voice. Youngho seemed pleasantly surprised, something Taeyong had unconsciously expected. Youngho smiled at him, folding his hands over each other.

Taeyong eyed the gloves, the accessory this time a pretty white, and he wondered why Youngho wore them for the thousandth time. It wasn’t a custom around the company, because Youngho seemed to be the only one doing it. Was there something regarding his upbringing? Maybe his hands were really ugly?

Taeyong doubted that was the reason, but he could guess.

‘’I’m glad to hear that, Taeyong.’’ Taeyong drowned in the soft tone of Youngho’s voice, and a sudden heat of excitement and pride hit him. He was going to a charity even with Seo Youngho, arguably one of the most powerful Alpha’s in South Korea. Him, struggling college student Lee Taeyong, was doing that.

It felt unreal.

‘’Then, I have another question.’’ Taeyong felt himself grow rigid at those words. More than a thousand possible questions crossed his mind in less than ten seconds, but he was pulled back to reality by Youngho moving a bit closer.

Taeyong had managed to get sort of used to Youngho’s scent, the strong presence no longer that big of a problem, but now that Youngho leant in ever so slightly, Taeyong felt his cheeks grow red, and he watched as Youngho chuckled.

‘’I was wondering whether or not you’d like to accompany me to lunch next Tuesday.’’ Taeyong relaxed in his seat, the idea of having lunch with Youngho somehow comfortable and familiar.

‘’Let me get to know you.’’ Taeyong blushed at those words, and nodded. ‘’I’d love to.’’ He wasn’t lying. Taeyong wanted to get to know Youngho. He wanted to know why he got this strange feeling whenever the alpha was close. He wanted to know what Youngho did in his free time -whether or not he had any- and he wanted to hold him close.

Taeyong was aware his small crush on Youngho was partly fed by his omega yearning for a mate, but also by his own loneliness. There was a void in his chest that his friends couldn’t fill, no matter how hard they tried, and maybe, just maybe, Youngho could fill it. Taeyong was talking absolute crap, he knew, because Youngho wasn’t interested in him like that. He simply couldn’t be.

‘’Well, that’s settled then.’’

 

The café Youngho had chosen was cosy, tucked away in between skyscrapers and corporate buildings. Taeyong hadn’t even known such a place existed until the moment Youngho and him entered the building. The dampers their effect was immediate, relaxing Taeyong as he sighed in relief.

He had expected a somewhat lavish, more modern restaurant, but Taeyong was happy with the unexpected familiarity he got from the café. It reminded him of the student café, and for a split second it felt like Youngho was just another student, someone Taeyong had to work with on a project. For a second he wasn’t the CEO of a skyrocketing company. It was a foreign feeling, but welcomed.

Taeyong was pulled back to reality by Youngho’s hand on his back, pushing him further into the café. It seemed as if Youngho came here more often, some of the waiters recognizing him and greeting him. Even in this setting, Youngho radiated power. He no longer felt like a fellow student, and Taeyong realized he didn’t mind the difference.

They sat down at a booth relatively in the back, across from each other. Taeyong’s nerves spiked again slightly at the smile Youngho directed at him.

‘’it’s cute here.’’ Taeyong commented, grabbing a hold of one of the menu’s. it was decorated with cute drawings and handwriting, and Taeyong loved it.

‘’yeah, it is. Junmyeon-hyung and I come here sometimes.’’ It took a second to register in Taeyong’s mind that he was talking about Mr. Kim and he smiled. It seemed like the two were close friends. ‘’I figured, some people recognize you.’’ Youngho chuckled, shaking his head with a smile.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they both skimmed the menu. A waiter walked up to them and smiled. ‘’can I take your order?’’

After the duo ordered, Youngho turned to Taeyong with a smile. ‘’So, Lee Taeyong, tell me about you.’’ Taeyong blushed, dodging Youngho’s gaze by looking out the window for a second. ‘’well,’’ Taeyong started, fumbling with his hands. He wasn’t interesting, at all, but not answering would be rude.

‘’I’m twenty three and a third year in college, majoring Journalism. I sketch out fashion designs in my free time and hang out with my friends.’’ This was the worst description Taeyong had ever given of himself, but the way Youngho was looking at him with so much expectation in his eyes had Taeyong shivering with nerves and his throat drying up.

‘’Journalism, huh? How did you get into that?’’ before Taeyong could answer, the waiter came back and put down their drinks. A water for Taeyong and a coffee for Youngho. He left them to their own devices with a smile, and it took maybe a split second for Youngho to turn back to Taeyong.

There was genuine interest in the way Youngho was looking at him, and Taeyong couldn’t say he hated it. In fact, he thrived on it and the man gave him this feeling that no matter what, he could tell him everything.

‘’Well, I wanted to major in Fashion and Design first, but I realized it would be hard to get a job in that particular work field, so I chose journalism instead. I hope to get a job at a fashion magazine after college.’’ Youngho hummed in the back of his throat, nodding along as he listened to Taeyong talk.

‘’So like, Vogue Korea or something?’’ Taeyong nodded vigorously. Vogue Korea would be the ultimate dream. ‘’That’d be a dream come true, really.’’ Youngho listened and smiled as Taeyong talked, and Taeyong felt a warmth settle in his body, a bone deep feeling he didn’t want to leave.

‘’What about you, hyung?’’ Taeyong then asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Youngho didn’t seem to mind, leaning back against the back of his chair. ‘’I’m twenty eight, graduated college with a business degree and like to solve sudoku puzzles in my spare time.’’ So he did have spare time, and he spent it playing puzzles. Taeyong had the urge to giggle, because that was just too adorable.

It was such a different man, the Youngho right in front of him. It was a complete one hundred and eighty degree turn from what Taeyong had read about the man in front of him. According to tabloids Youngho was a player, someone who didn’t care for others other than himself. But as Taeyong sat there in his seat, listening to Youngho talk about his love for sudoku and Swedish word puzzles he realized those things were the exact opposite from who Youngho was.

It was a guess, because granted Taeyong didn’t know much about Youngho, but he just couldn’t believe the rumours as he watched Youngho smile as his grilled cheese sandwich was served in front of him. Taeyong had gone with some chicken noodles, the cheapest meal on the menu, and he too, smiled at his food.

‘’So how did you and Mr. Kim meet?’’ Youngho smiled fondly. Taeyong guessed he was recalling a memory or something of the likes, and a warm feeling spread across his chest from watching Youngho laugh to himself.

‘’That’s actually a pretty funny story. It was freshman year of college and me and Sehun-hyung were at some frat party getting drunk. Sehun-hyung bumped into a stranger and all of a sudden he melted against said stranger. I was so confused until I realized the stranger was staring at Sehun-hyung with the weirdest smile on his face. That ended up being Junmyeon-hyung. They’ve been dating ever since.’’ Youngho took a bite of his food and grimaced, the heat of the melted cheese burning his mouth.

Taeyong couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘’that is a funny story. I’m guessing they were soulmates?’’ Youngho nodded, swallowing his food. ‘’that’s pretty cool,’’ Taeyong commented, him now being the one to take a bite of his noodles.

‘’You guys became friends from that point on?’’ Youngho nodded. ‘’we quickly realized we both had a knack for anything computer technology related, and since Junmyeon was majoring in computer science he developed a particular code. The business just kind of grew from there.’’ Youngho talked about SeoKim as if it was his baby, a fond smile adorning his features as he talked about the concept and Taeyong felt himself being sucked into a story about said computer programme.

By the time lunch is almost over, Taeyong had gotten to know Youngho on a basic, surface level. He knew that the man was originally from Chicago and moved to South Korea when he was four and that his parents moved back to the United States when Youngho enrolled in college. He had listened to some stories about Youngho’s college time, and Taeyong had shared some stories about his friends as well. It was nice to sit and talk like normal people, and Taeyong was happy with the familiar feeling rising in his chest.

‘’So what you’re saying is that you worked an entire year before enrolling in college?’’ Taeyong nodded, taking the last sip of his water. This was the part he had been most nervous about. It’s not like he didn’t want Youngho to know about how he was an orphan and never adopted, resulting in him being kicked out at the earliest crack of dawn on his eighteenth birthday, but he barely knew Youngho. Who knows how the man would react?

‘’Yes. I had to, y’know, I didn’t have enough money to pay for tuition so I worked.’’ Youngho sighed but nodded, a new sort of glint in his eyes Taeyong couldn’t quite recognize. ‘’do you work now?’’ Taeyong nodded, his shoulders slumping.

‘’I work two jobs at the moment. I used to work three, but I was fired.’’ Youngho’s eyes widened at that, and he shook his head. ‘’do you even have spare time?’’ Taeyong thought for a second, replaying the last two weeks in his mind and searching for a moment where he had some sort of spare time. Not counting the Friday where he just couldn’t get out of bed, he really didn’t have much free time.

‘’Not much. I spend most of it working or talking to friends.’’ It was true. Taeyong hadn’t touched his notebook in a relaxed state of mind for a while. Last night’s short sketch didn’t count, because he had been working on school work as well. The last time he had actual time for sketching was that one peaceful Sunday.

‘’that’s impressive. Unhealthy, for sure, but impressive.’’ Taeyong giggled, shaking his head. ‘’it’s not impressive at all.’’ Youngho sighed, taking the last sip of his coffee. ‘’there’s a lot about you that I find impressive. Don’t talk yourself down like that, Tae.’’ Taeyong felt himself blush at Youngho’s praise, the use of his nickname making Taeyong’s heart skip a beat in his chest.

‘’You’re not so bad yourself either, hyung.’’ Taeyong’s attempt at flirting sucked, he knew that, but Youngho smiled and winked, so he took that as a good sign. Youngho checked his watch, grumbling as he stood up. ‘’we should head back.’’ Taeyong nodded and got out of his seat, putting his coat -actually, an old hand-me-down from Yuta- back on as he followed Youngho toward the counter.

Before Taeyong could even do as much as blink or fight Youngho for paying his own half, Youngho had swiped his card and everything was paid for. ‘’You should have let me pay for my own food, hyung.’’ Taeyong said as they walked out of the café, heading back into the direction of SeoKim office.

‘’I asked you out on a date for lunch, so I’m paying.’’

_Date._ Youngho had considered this a date. Taeyong couldn’t help but giggle nervously and he felt like a school girl with a crush as his back tingled from Youngho’s hand touching the small of his back. Immediately, he felt that same warmth again as he had felt while shaking Youngho’s hand, and Taeyong was sure Youngho felt it too as they kept walking. While on the way here that had walked close together but not touching, something about Youngho’s behaviour changed and now he was very close to Taeyong.

It wasn’t like Taeyong minded at all, Youngho serving as a heater in the cold weather _and_ the fact that he got to be close to Youngho, but he wondered where the sudden change in behaviour came from.

As Taeyong glanced back, he realized why Youngho was acting so differently. He could see a couple cameras following them in the distance, and Taeyong grimaced. ‘’I guess you saw them?’’ Youngho leant in closer to whisper and Taeyong blushed at the way he could feel Youngho’s breath on his face. ‘’Yeah, I saw them.’’ In a split second, Youngho moved even closer -if that was even possible- and was now completely shielding Taeyong from the paparazzi.

‘’I’m going to be the one fighting this article, Jongin-hyung will make sure of it.’’ Youngho chuckled at that, and leant in even closer. He was still only really touching Taeyong with his hands, the rest of his body hovering near, but Taeyong was overwhelmed by the scent enveloping him. As they neared the office building he noticed Youngho glancing back more often, and soon enough they were back in the lobby.

‘’I’m sorry about that, Tae.’’ Taeyong couldn’t help but blush at the usage of his nickname, again, and shook his head. ‘’it’s not your fault they follow you like hawks.’’ Youngho chuckled. A silence fell over them as they walked into the elevator. ‘’So, what’s this charity event for?’’ Taeyong felt like it would be right to ask, considering he was going there with one of the main guests. Youngho shrugged his shoulders before opening his mouth.

‘’This time it’s a charity event dedicated to children suffering from cancer. There is going to be a silent auction and people walking around collecting donations. A lot of people from the entertainment industry, some other business owners and the press is going to be there.’’ The doors slid open right after Youngho finished his sentence, and Taeyong nodded as he sighed.

‘’alright, that’s good to know.’’ Youngho smiled at Taeyong as he stepped out of the elevator and Taeyong waved. ‘’I’ll see you on Friday?’’ Youngho nodded, ‘’I’m picking you up at seven.’’ And with that, the doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, please let me know what you thought!!
> 
> contact me :)  
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)[cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	12. Chapter 12.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!!
> 
> I'm sorry it's been two weeks since the latest update,, some family stuff came up and I wasn't feeling well enough to write anything, let alone this. I'm feeling a lot better now, the issues almost resolved and so here's the chapter!! Enjoy uwu and happy holiday's!
> 
> x D.

Taeyong wasn’t sure what he had been expecting of the night. He had expected the basics, men and women in expensive outfits, sipping expensive drinks and making expensive small talk. Expensive small talk wasn’t about the weather, it was about whether or not they played golf that weekend or how their third house was coming along. According to Jaehyun and Sicheng, that is.

Taeyong trusted Jaehyun and Sicheng’s opinion on this matter the most, seeing as both of them were ‘blessed’ with rich and wealthy families. They had held their respective amount of expensive small talk conversations in their lives.

He had expected expensive cars pulling up at a venue, some press taking pictures and that’s it. What Taeyong hadn’t expected, nor prepared himself for, was a red fucking carpet.

As he stepped out of the car, Youngho’s _personal_ driver, a beta named Mark Tuan, holding the door open for him, Taeyong was hit with flash’s and camera clicks, something he definitely hadn’t seen coming.

Luckily, he looked more presentable than usual. Youngho had done the courtesy, to Taeyong’s simultaneous dismay and pleasure, of buying Taeyong a suit. It had been a weird experience, receiving a matte black box at night, Jungwoo already halfway tucked in bed with a Sicheng at the end of it, munching on some popcorn as Taeyong was doing some homework.

He had opened the door and was met with the security guard from downstairs. Sicheng had coaxed Taeyong into opening the box right away, distracting the boy from his much needed school work for the rest of the night.

‘’ _I cant believe he bought you this?!_ ’’ Jungwoo had exclaimed as Taeyong pulled the Louis Vuitton gift paper of a beautiful navy blue suit jacket.

It fit perfectly, and Taeyong was more than grateful for such an outfit as he felt Youngho’s glove cladded hand touch his lower back, guiding him along the path of yelling journalists and paparazzi taking as many pictures as they pleased.

It was overwhelming, both the scents and the amount of attention Taeyong was receiving, and it left his mind hazy right up to the point a journalist walked up to someone right beside Taeyong. He turned his face to look who it was and was met with no one else other than Moon Taeil, model for numerous magazines and one of the most successful beta’s known in South Korea.

Taeyong has half the mind not to gasp out loud and lets Youngho guide him further towards the door. A dooming pit of heat formed itself in the pit of his stomach, and Taeyong groaned.

He had felt it before, this morning as he sat in class or while working at the café on the afternoon shift, but Taeyong refused to admit the meaning of it. He knew exactly what it meant, Sicheng and Jungwoo lectured him on it when they found out while Taeyong was getting dressed, but he didn’t want to say it.

His heat was coming, and Taeyong hated it. Luckily Sicheng had lent him some of his anti-pheromones spray, dampening the pheromones Taeyong was realizing due to his heat. Omega’s heat pheromones were different from their regular ones, therefor it wasn’t hard to notice when one went into heat. Taeyong was grateful for Sicheng’s spray, because on his own he would’ve never been able to afford it.

Youngho clearly hadn’t noticed anything and neither had any of the other visitors, which was a good sign. Maybe Taeyong could get through the night like this.

 

‘’You look beautiful in that suit, Tae.’’ Youngho whispered, his face close to Taeyong. Taeyong blushed, sipping on his straw. ‘’thank you.’’ He muttered and Youngho smirked, winking at him.

Youngho had been doing that all night, which so far had only been thirty minutes, throwing random pick up lines or compliments Taeyong’s way. Not that it bothered Taeyong, his heart fluttering every time Youngho did so and the butterflies in his stomach going absolutely buck wild.

He liked being next to Youngho as the older introduced him to the world Youngho had been part of. It was an odd sense of comfort, but Taeyong loved it. There was a part of him wondering why he felt this way so incredibly quick, but he didn’t want to listen to his voice of reason. Not tonight.

‘’You don’t look too bad yourself, hyung.’’ Taeyong winked. He  was responding to Youngho’s flirting and compliments more and more as the minutes went on, and he could tell Youngho was enjoying it just as much as him.

‘’Mr. Seo!’’ Youngho turned around, the conversation he and Taeyong were having cut off by a man placing a hand on top of Youngho’s shoulder. Youngho seemed to recognize the voice right away, turning around to greet the man with a hug.

‘’who’s this?’’ another voice could be heard and Taeyong jumped as another male walked up to them, his hand finding its place in the other man’s hand. They were a stunning couple and looked effortlessly beautiful together as they huddled together, champagne glasses in hand.

‘’Ah, Ten, as perceptive as ever. This is Lee Taeyong, my date for the night.’’ Ten, the smaller of the two, raised an eyebrow and smiled before reaching out his hand for Taeyong to shake.

Taeyong shook it, ‘’It’s nice to meet you, Taeyong. I’m Ten.’’ Taeyong smiled and nodded. ‘’Nice to meet you.’’ Youngho was leaning closer and closer, but still not touching Taeyong properly other than the hand on his back and his scent was overwhelming, the heat in his stomach growing by the second and almost becoming uncomfortable.

‘’Taeyong, this is Quin Kun.’’ Youngho motioned toward the taller male, and Taeyong smiled at him as he shook his hand as well. Kun looked nice, his face kind and a smile on his face the sun could be jealous of. Taeyong thought it was kind of weird to see a face like that among so many harsh businessmen.

Then again, he himself was there too. He had no right to judge.

‘’Hello Taeyong, it’s nice to meet you.’’ Taeyong smiled, nodding. ‘’How do you know each other?’’ He asked, taking a sip of his drink. ‘’Kun is one of our Chinese investors.’’ Kun nodded, ‘’we hang out every once in a while, whenever Youngho comes to China that is.’’ Youngho chuckled and shook his head.

After a couple minutes of talking, Ten pulled Kun away for another drink and the duo were once again, left alone. Until Sehun and Junmyeon walked up to them, that is.

‘’Enjoying the party, Taeyong?’’ Taeyong awkwardly smiled, nodding as Sehun stood next to him. ‘’It’s, new.’’ Junmyeon chuckled, shaking his head. ‘’well, of course it is.’’ It was the first time Junmyeon spoke to Taeyong outside of the office, and he sounded incredibly casual.

It was welcoming to Taeyong, the atmosphere around him already foreign enough. He really couldn’t handle uncomfortable conversations, either.

A sudden sting of pain flashed through Taeyong’s stomach and he clenched his eyes shut, his groan starving off in his throat as he tried to hold it in.

‘’Hey, you okay?’’ Sehun asked, his face a little too close for comfort. Taeyong nodded, lying to the best of his abilities. ‘’it’s just, too hot in here.’’ Sehun seemed to agree, shrugging his shoulders.

He too looked incredibly nice tonight, an expensive suit Taeyong recognized to be Armani wrapped around Sehun’s lean but tall body.

‘’the clothes are so nice here.’’ Taeyong muttered after Junmyeon and Sehun had left, ready to talk and connect with other people. It was business, Taeyong supposed. He wondered why Youngho wasn’t doing the same thing.

‘’what do you mean?’’ Youngho asked as the two of them arrived at a standing table. Taeyong leaned his elbows on it, grateful for the leverage as his legs couldn’t stop shaking. His heat was hitting earlier than expected and it was getting too close and too much a little too fast.

‘’Well, everyone is wearing such nice fabrics and brands. That lady over there,’’ Taeyong pointed at a beautiful looking woman, black sleek hair hanging over her shoulders, her dress swaying with every movement. ‘’is wearing one of the newest dresses out of Park Jimin’s collection. His dresses are, most of the time at least, completely made out of Satin, Duchess Satin to be exact, and they’re all one of a kind.’’ Youngho eyed the woman wearing the dress before his eyes travelled to someone else.

‘’what about her?’’ Youngho pointed at another beautiful woman, her brown curly hair neatly held up by several silver pins stuck in her hair. Her dress was a beautiful soft yellow, velvet with lace evident as the fabric.

Taeyong gasped, recognizing the dress from one of his many, many mood boards. ‘’I know that dress!! It’s the one Sunmi wore for one of her red carpets!,’’ Taeyong snapped his fingers, desperately trying to remember who designed it.

‘’Lo-‘’

‘’Kim Jongdae designed that!’’ Youngho perked up at the mention of the designers name. Taeyong blushed, hiding his face. ‘’I’m sorry, continue with what you were saying.’’ Taeyong loved talking about fashion, he really did, but he wasn’t too sure whether or not Youngho would judge him for it.

Which, by the look on the Alpha’s face, he wouldn’t.

Youngho laughed, biting his bottom lip as he eyed Taeyong with something akin to fondness in his eyes. Taeyong blushed, ducking his head.

That’s when he felt it. The slight bit of liquid, slight bit of slick, running down his leg.

‘’where’s the bathroom?’’ Youngho looked confused at the sudden change of topic, a toilet not even close to a fashion designer, but he seemed to collect himself in a split second. ‘’I’ll take you.’’

After they had walked across the big hall, Taeyong was directed to the bathroom in a hallway next to the hall. ‘’You don’t have to wait, hyung. I’ll come find you.’’ Youngho seemed to hesitate. Taeyong was scared he had noticed the heat pheromones waving off of him, but Youngho nodded after a moment.

‘’alright.’’ Taeyong smiled as the alpha walked off. Taeyong entered the omega bathroom with a sigh. There was no one else in there, Taeyong made sure to check the stalls, and he was free to slump against the wall as he pleased.

‘’why is this happening?’’ Taeyong whispered to no one but himself. He sat down on one of the toilets, locking the door. Even the bathrooms were fancy in this place. Taeyong was worried he’d break something.

Taeyong got himself as cleaned up as he possibly could, the slick no longer leaving his hole. Taeyong knew what this meant. He had a couple hours left until his heat would fully hit. He had to be home by then, otherwise he was screwed.

It took a couple minutes, but Taeyong felt as if though he had calmed down the slightest amount. Enough for him to rejoin the party, at least.

He walked out of the bathrooms, making his way into the big hall again. He scanned the crowd, businessmen and women alike with their respective partners, idols and other famous people Taeyong was way too nervous to talk to. And so, he marched on, trying to find Youngho among the crowd.

By the time Taeyong had found Youngho talking to Junmyeon and two other men Taeyong had never seen before, the omega was growing increasingly more uncomfortable by the second. His legs were shaking and his face was hot, the pit of his stomach burning.

‘’Tae!’’ Youngho wrapped his arm around Taeyong’s shoulder and the younger of the two almost relaxed, right until the moment Youngho himself stiffened. It was a strange moment which passed as soon as it came, Youngho’s arm relaxing around Taeyong’s shoulder, and Taeyong decided to not think much of it.

Not that his mind could, really, because it was getting more hazy by the minute.

‘’I want to get some fresh air.’’ Taeyong whispered, hoping Youngho would get the hint and take him outside. ‘’Excuse us, gentlemen.’’ The two other alphas waved them off as Youngho guided Taeyong away. They walked toward the back of the hall, two doors leading to a small outside area.

No one was there, the cold air too painful for those wearing only suits or dresses, but Taeyong didn’t care. The cold air seemed to calm him down, his body burning less as he inhaled the fresh air.

Taeyong made his way toward the railing and he noticed Youngho following him. Taeyong leant against it, his back to the cold glass and even though there was a suit jacket and a dress shirt between his skin and the cold surface of the glass, he could still feel the temperature of his body dropping. Thank god.

‘’You okay?’’ Youngho asked, breaking the silence. He took a step closer and Taeyong held his breath. This was the perfect moment for a kiss, Taeyong had seen more than enough of Jungwoo’s dramas to know such a thing, and he sensed that Youngho seemed to think the same thing as he leant his body closer to Taeyong’s.

‘’You look beautiful in these lights, Tae.’’ Taeyong blushed, bowing his head as Youngho came even closer. They were almost touching, maybe a few centimetres apart, and Taeyong could feel his skin vibrating for the touch of the alpha.

He knew those were his heat hormones speaking but there was something else pulling him close to Youngho. Before he knew it, Youngho’s face was in front of him.

‘’Would you mind if I kissed you in these beautiful lights, perhaps?’’ Taeyong froze, blinking once, twice, three times before the words registered. Without allowing himself to think of the consequences, Taeyong nodded.

Youngho leaned in, placing his gloved hands on Taeyong’s face. Immediately, Taeyong’s face heated up. He could tell Youngho reacted the same way, because his movements froze.

It was just for a second, maybe even less, until Youngho moved again. Taeyong leaned in too, standing on his tippy toes to reach Youngho’s lips.

The touch of their lips was soft. Youngho’s lips were as soft and plump as Taeyong had imagined they would be. It wasn’t the kiss that was special, it was almost just a peck on the lips that was gone before Taeyong knew it was even happening, but the feeling that came with it.

The warmth in his body grew heavier, fast. It spread across Taeyong’s body like wildfire, his limbs filling with an almost excruciating heat he had never felt before. It wasn’t painful, the complete opposite actually, but it felt strange.

Youngho seemed to agree, because he pulled back as fast he possibly could. He was two meters away in an instant, his eyes wide and his mouth clenched shut.

‘’it’s, it’s you.’’ Before Taeyong could respond to that, he felt slick running down his legs. He was quiet for a few seconds before a groan left his mouth, his heat hitting hard and his body aching for a knot.

‘’You’re—you’re,’’ Youngho couldn’t form words and neither could Taeyong, his heat hitting harder than usual. Youngho had triggered it, somehow. Taeyong had never had his heat triggered by an alpha before.

Youngho was next to Taeyong again in a second, his hands no longer covered with gloves as he reached for Taeyong’s. Before he could grab them, though, Taeyong pulled his hands away.

‘’what are you-?’’ Youngho reached out again and this time, Taeyong couldn’t react fast enough, his senses hazy due to his condition.

Their hands touched and the same heat that had spread through Taeyong while kissing Youngho spread through him again, this time combined with something in Taeyong’s mind clicking in place.

Taeyong panicked, pulling his hands away as fast as he could.

‘’I want to go home.’’

 

Youngho had called Mark not even a minute later to get Taeyong home. Youngho seemed rather confused himself on the ride home, but Taeyong didn’t want to see it. All he wanted to focus on was his own mind going absolutely bat shit crazy, his body fuming and begging for the touch of an alpha.

Jungwoo was there to get him at the main gate. Youngho placed a kiss on Taeyong’s cheek before the omega could get out of the car, and Taeyong’s eyes widened. ‘’tha-thanks for tonight. I’ll call you, or something.’’ Taeyong was out of the car in seconds, falling into a cosily dressed Jungwoo’s arms.

The car drove off within seconds and Taeyong was left with a worried Jungwoo on the sidewalk.

‘’what even happened?’’ the younger asked, holding onto Taeyong’s shoulder as they walked onto the campus. Taeyong shrugged, ‘’a lot. My heat hit a day early.’’

‘’I noticed. Any reason for that?’’

‘’we may have kissed.’’ Jungwoo almost fell face first to the pavement from Taeyong’s words.

‘’You kissed him?!’’ Jungwoo yelped, way too loud for these hours of the night. Taeyong nodded nonetheless, not wanting to lie to his best friend. ‘’did that trigger your heat?’’ Taeyong shrugged, his mind growing hazy again. It came and went with waves, meaning the beginning of his heat was still going strong, and it usually resulted in Taeyong being slow in the brain for minutes at a time.

‘’might have, I don’t know.’’ Jungwoo sighed. He opened the door, letting them both enter the omega faculty before walking toward the elevator.

‘’Taeyong,, you know what this means, right?’’ Taeyong shook his head, resolutely pulling away from Jungwoo. It was a bad idea, his body not strong enough to hold itself up so he slumped against the wall of the elevator.

‘’it doesn’t mean anything!’’ it wasn’t that Taeyong didn’t want to admit it, not at all. To him, he didn’t have a soulmate. There was no way he suddenly had one, it being Youngho at that. It just wasn’t possible. It didn’t make sense to Taeyong.

Taeyong nestled into his blankets and pillows as soon as he changed out of his suit, creating a cocoon of just him. Soon enough, he’d get too hot for that many blankets and he’d shed them off, but right now it felt comforting. As if someone was holding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'one meets their soulmate by the touch of hand' ;)
> 
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> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)  
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>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)  
> 


	13. Chapter 13.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early update because I wanted to and because I still feel bad about the long wait for chapter 12
> 
> we're looking at things from a different perspective this chapter ;)

‘’have you lost your goddamn mind, Youngho?’’

Youngho was interrupted from working on a report by Junmyeon storming into his office. It was a Monday and usually Junmyeon wouldn’t be in the office at this time of day on said day, instead, he’d be having lunch with Sehun at the dance studio the omega taught. It was a weird occurrence to have the rather small sized alpha rushing into his office.

Scratch that, it wasn’t a weird occurrence at all. Junmyeon stormed into Youngho’s office at the weirdest of times for the most confusing stuff, but not on Monday’s.

Junmyeon sat down on the chair in front of Youngho’s desk, dropping a plethora of papers on top of Youngho’s already growing pile. Youngho frowned as he eyed the papers; those weren’t reports nor where they documents he was forced to read on a day to day basis. They were gossip magazines, Korean tabloids.

‘’What did I do?’’ Youngho knew _exactly_ why his co-CEO had stormed into his office. It was, simply said, due to the alpha’s own stupidity. Junmyeon rolled his eyes, his chest moving rapidly as the older tried to regain his breathing. Youngho guessed he ran here.

‘’Someone saw you and Taeyong on the balcony of the venue. It’s all over the magazines.’’ Youngho was quick to abandon his report, dropping it on his desk in favour of grabbing the magazines.

As Youngho skimmed trough them, the pages he appeared on already highlighted by Junmyeon to save time, Youngho felt his heart sink in his chest.

‘’That’s what you did wrong. What were you _thinking?!’’_ Junmyeon rarely got angry. The last time Youngho had seen him angry was three years ago when another alpha had tried to make a pass at Sehun while they were out in a bar in London. Angry Junmyeon was a scary Junmyeon, and Youngho always tried to not be on the receiving end of said anger.

Sadly, his time had come.

‘’There’s something about him, hyung. I knew it from the start.’’ Youngho tried to reason with Junmyeon, because as much as the older probably wanted to stay angry at Youngho, he also knew what that night had meant to him.

‘’I know, Youngho. You’ve told me and Sehun countless of times and I agree. There seems to be a connection between the two of you that can only be explained as what you think it is, but Taeyong seems quite adamant for such a thing to not be true. You cannot force yourself upon him, Seo. You know that.’’ Youngho groaned, dropping the magazines to rub his face and smack himself on the cheek.

Junmyeon chuckled, but didn’t continue.

‘’I know I can’t force myself on him, hyung. I am very aware. I asked for his consent before we kissed, I didn’t force him to kiss me and he wanted it just as much as I did.’’ Junmyeon shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.

‘’He was also in heat, Youngho. You triggered it, for Christ sake.’’ This was also a fact Youngho was aware of. For some odd reason, Youngho felt pride blooming in his chest.

‘’He wasn’t when I kissed him.’’

‘’It was developing! His hormones were all over the place,’’

‘’it sounds like you’re trying to convince me I sexually assaulted him while he was in heat!’’ Youngho defended himself, Junmyeon’s statements utterly ridiculous at this point. Taeyong consented to the kiss, whether he was in heat or not.

A silence fell over the two and Junmyeon sighed, ‘’Look, Youngho, I’m not trying to convince you that you sexually assaulted him, because you _didn’t._ I’m just trying to say that you may think he’s your soulmate, but you have absolutely no idea what he thinks about that!’’

Youngho stared at his hands, bare for the first time in years out in public, and he nodded. Junmyeon was right and as much as he hated admitting it, he was in the wrong.

‘’I know I had no right to assume he thought the same, but not everyone is as lucky as you guys were, hyung.’’ Sehun and Junmyeon had it easy, fate letting them meet early on in life in college, while Youngho was stuck searching.

Junmyeon sighed, standing up and snatching the tabloids from Youngho’s desk. ‘’Look, I’m not angry at you, nor do I think what you did was unforgivable. Just, give the boy some time, please. He’s young, he seems stressed and he looks like he has enough on his mind already. Don’t make it worse.’’

‘’Exactly! I want to take that pressure off of him, hyung.’’

‘’I know you do, Youngho. I can see it in the way you look at him. But, just think about what he wants. Also, think about the company. The scandals the media has created weren’t good for our publicity and reputation,’’ Youngho was about to interrupt Junmyeon, but the older raised his hand.

‘’—and I know you didn’t do these things on purpose. I know the media blew the things you have done up more than what is considered acceptable, but you do have to ask yourself whether or not Taeyong is ready for that. We’re used to it by now, the attention we receive from others, but Taeyong isn’t. Sehun and I grew used to it together, but Taeyong is new to all of this. No matter how hard you’ll try to reduce the pressure Taeyong is living with right now –and I know you will--, the media will give him that same amount of pressure right back.Think about that before something like this happens again, alright?’’ With that, the smaller alpha closed Youngho’s office door, leaving the younger of the two seated at his desk with his head in his hands.

Youngho raised his head after a moment, his eyes immediately falling on the picture of his family he had on his desk. His mother and father were smiling as a four year old Youngho stood in front of them, a typical American family picture. The picture had been taken a couple weeks before they moved to South-Korea and the memory made Youngho smile.

His mother had always encouraged Youngho’s search for his soulmate. Had always cheered him on, listened to him whine about not being able to find them or his frustration for the unfairness of actually finding out who your soulmate was.

Often, Youngho would come home after school and whine, wishing to meet his soulmate like everyone in the books he always read did. His parents would comfort him and try to reason with him that meeting your soulmate at such an early age was unusual, but all Youngho wanted was his soulmate by his side.

His parents were, in fact, not soulmates. Neither of them had experience with the phenomenon, but you couldn’t tell that from the way they loved each other with their whole hearts. Form an early age, ever since Youngho understood the concept of love and being in love, he had wanted that for himself.

He hoped he wasn’t wrong about Taeyong. The way his body reacted to Youngho and the other way around proved what Youngho had been thinking, that they were in fact soulmates, but the way the omega wished to go home and hadn’t contacted Youngho over the weekend made Youngho worry.

He groaned, reclining back in his seat. Taeyong wasn’t inside the office and Youngho could guess why pretty fast; his heat wasn’t over yet. Even though Youngho felt bad about triggering Taeyong’s heat in the middle of the charity event, he was somewhat weirdly happy about his impact on Taeyong.

It’s the reason why he took his gloves off that night, hoping to feel heat spread through his body the moment their hands would touch. Youngho had felt it and he was and still is insanely happy about this, but the way Taeyong panicked had thrown Youngho off.

He assumed the other would be happy to have find his soulmate, but Taeyong demanding to leave right away proved Youngho otherwise. There was always the possibility Taeyong didn’t want to meet his soulmate, but as someone who had grown up with searching for them, Youngho couldn’t imagine that being the reason as to why Taeyong up and left as quickly as he could.

Junmyeon’s words were heavy, as they always were, but they were right. Youngho should have thought about what Taeyong wanted before doing anything. Then again, Taeyong did agree to go to the event with him and he agreed on the lunch date. It wasn’t all Youngho’s fault, the way Taeyong had flirted right back whenever Youngho made a pass at him giving the alpha the courage he needed. It seemed as if thought something was holding Taeyong back.

 

‘’ _Oh Sehun speaking?_ ’’ Youngho smiled to himself as his best friends voice echoed through his car. He was stuck in traffic jam and Mark was off for the day, so he decided on calling Sehun on his way back to his apartment. It was late, edging close to ten pm. As the temperature got colder and the days became shorter, Youngho found himself at the office for longer than he deemed necessary.

‘’You should really start checking caller ID’s before answering your phone, hyung.’’ Youngho teased. He could hear Sehun scoffing on the other side of the line.

‘’ _I can hear who’s calling me as soon as they start talking, no? checking caller ID’s ruins the element of surprise, my dear friend._ ’’ Youngho shook his head at his friends words, pressing the gas lightly to move forward. He was almost out of the business quarter of Seoul and it would be another twenty minutes or so before he’d arrive at his penthouse in Gangnam. He could use the company Sehun’s voice brought along.

‘’Alright, fine hyung. You win.’’

‘’ _thanks. Why the sudden call?_ ’’ Youngho frowned, hating the fact that even though they weren’t face to face, his best friend could see right through him.

‘’what? Can’t I call my best friend to see how he’s doing every once in a while?’’ Sehun and Junmyeon had left for their vacation home in Sokcho right after the charity event, something they did every once in a while to just get away from everything for two days, and so Youngho hadn’t spoken to them since Friday.

Hence Junmyeon running into his office instead of talking to him about it earlier.

‘’ _Alright, I’m fine. Lounging on the couch right now while Junmyeon is showering. Our weekend was splendid, thank you very much. Junmyeon fucked me on almost every surface in that goddamn house, if that’s what you wanted to know. Now get on with it, why did you call me?’’_

Youngho cringed, ‘’Okay, first of all, I did not need to know that, thank you very much,’’ the image of his two best friends getting it on like bunnies wasn’t something Youngho _particularly_ enjoyed, ‘’I’m glad you’re good and fuck you, hyung, you always see right through me.’’

‘’ _what can I say?_ ’’

‘’I’m assuming Junmyeon-hyung told you all about what he told me in my office today?’’ Youngho asked, turning his steering wheel to take the corner. He was about fifteen minutes away from his penthouse and he was so ready to just, fall face first into his bed and never get up again.

‘’ _he didn’t really have to, you know. It’s all over the papers. I’m glad Taeyong wasn’t at work today, he would’ve had to help sort that out, Christ. What you did wasn’t right, Youngho. You should’ve talked about it, or something.’’_

Youngho scoffed, ‘’Like you and Junmyeon-hyung ever talked about it. You just bumped into each other, that’s that. There was no talking and it was the most cliché thing I’ve ever had to experience and I’ve sat through a lot of romance drama’s with you when we were teens, so that says a lot.’’ Youngho could hear Sehun move around in his living room before replying,

‘’ _okay, fair enough. Junmyeon and I were just very lucky, you’re right. But Taeyong is younger than you, Youngho. You have no idea whether or not he was even searching for a soulmate, or aware that he had one for that matter. Don’t you think you’re rushing this a bit?_ ’’ Youngho groaned. He knew his best friends were right, but he didn’t want to admit it to himself.

‘’He’s just so, so different from anyone else, hyung. And I can see that he’s miserable and stressed. I just want to take care of him, you know?’’ Youngho heard Sehun sigh and somewhere in the distance he could hear a door open and close. Youngho assumed Junmyeon was done showering.

‘’ _I know Youngho, and I’m happy for you that you’ve finally found him. But, please think about it. Does Taeyong look like the kind of person who wants to be taken care of?’’_ Youngho fell silent at that, because truth be told, Taeyong really didn’t seem like the kind of person who wanted that.

He was independent, working two jobs to keep himself above water and barely managing. Judging from the stories Taeyong had told Youngho he didn’t accept help from his friends either. So, he was humble too.

‘’No, he doesn’t.’’ Youngho reluctantly answered.

‘’ _See? And that’s where you’re treading along the wrong path, my guy. Now, I’ve got to go because Junmyeon is calling for me in the kitchen and I may have left the stove on by accident. I’ll see you tomorrow._ ’’ Youngho wasn’t able to say anything before Sehun hung up. His car filled itself with the soft tunes of pop songs from the radio, numerous of voices filling Youngho’s ears as he drove into the parking lot under his apartment complex.

Youngho handed his key to the valet parker, stepping out of his car and grabbing his suitcase before walking toward the elevator. It was dark, quiet and Youngho spotted absolutely no other resident but himself in mirrors as he made his way through the building toward his penthouse.

He opened the door, taking off his shoes before neatly putting them in their respective place. Youngho padded through the hallway into the living room, dropping his suitcase on the huge glass dining table with a loud thump.

The apartment was dark, empty and Youngho hated it. He wished he had someone to come home to, someone excited to see him back home safely and someone who cuddled up to him as they lay in bed.

Instead, Youngho was greeted by his houseplants and a flat screen television, an empty couch and the heating system turned off. Youngho always felt lonely after arriving home. More often than not, Youngho found himself trying to avoid going home at all.

He took on business trips that were actually planned on Junmyeon’s schedule, using the excuse that Sehun would miss him too much if he couldn’t join him. He worked long hours at the office, leaving barely any time for him to notice the emptiness of his home and process it, too exhausted to even think about anything else other than face planting onto his mattress.

As Youngho got himself ready for bed, his eyes tired and his mind exhausted, Taeyong came back into his thoughts.

‘’ _does he seem like the kind of person who wants to be taken care of?_ ’’ Sehun’s words rang through Youngho’s head and the younger knew his best friend was right. Taeyong didn’t want to be taken care of, although he did need it. Youngho could see how tired Taeyong was, how stressed he was and how incredibly overworked the boy was.

Youngho didn’t even know if Taeyong had the time for love, for dealing with a soulmate right now, and the alpha wanted to punch himself in the face for right out assuming that everyone wanted the same thing as he did: finding their soulmate as fast as possible.

Back in high school, before Sehun and Junmyeon had even met, it used to be Sehun and Youngho against the world. They were both searching for their soulmate, waiting and hoping to find that one person most destined for them.

After Sehun presented as an omega he fantasized about a big, strong alpha swooping him off of his feet, taking him to different places in the world and just, loving him with their whole heart. Luckily, Sehun had found Junmyeon, not the big alpha Sehun had envisioned, but apart from that he was everything Sehun had ever hoped for.

After Youngho presented as an alpha, his dreams at night filled themselves with wanting to take care of someone and loving them as much as he possibly could. His hope grew less and less as the years passed on and when Sehun found Junmyeon and Youngho was left soulmate-less at last, it grew frustrating.

Despite what the media said about him on a daily basis, Youngho had lots of love to give. He cared for the people who meant a lot to him and wasn’t afraid to go through hell and back to make them happy. Sure, he was still a ruthless alpha when needed, his company needing that sort of strength on most days, but deep down Youngho knew he was a softy at heart.

Growing up the way he did it wasn’t surprising.

Youngho sighed as he dropped himself down on his bed, pulling the sheets over himself and plugging his phone to charge.

He hoped Taeyong could see through the person the media made Youngho out to be. The fact that Taeyong agreed to going with Youngho to the event had proven that, to some extent, Taeyong didn’t believe every word in the media the boy came across. Then again, he worked for the media department and Youngho was _sure_ Taeyong had worked on some of Youngho’s stories.

The charity event. Asking Taeyong to join him wasn’t a whim. Youngho had sat down with both Junmyeon and Sehun to ask for advice, the feeling in his gut he got from seeing Taeyong edging him to ask the boy out.

Not forgetting the way he reacted to Taeyong’s scent. The first time he smelled the waft of flower petals, soft hint of cinnamon and vanilla was when he entered the office after his business trip, and he couldn’t get enough of it. All of the things Youngho had done, emailing Amber to make sure Taeyong would go to the quarter of the year meeting being one of them, were to see Taeyong.

After Youngho had seen Taeyong in the student café after giving a guest lecture, he was whipped.

Youngho knew this wasn’t just a coincidence, that his body reacted to Taeyong the way that it did. Youngho knew what it was and he was beyond happy he had finally found it, him to be precise, but it seemed as if though he was the only one being happy about it.

Taeyong didn’t seem too pleased and Youngho hated it.

Youngho reached for his phone, ready to call his mother. He pulled back, however, realizing she was probably out of the house right now. Youngho forgot about time differences, sometimes.

So instead, Youngho opted for settling back in the sheets, his head comfortably placed on his pillow, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Youngho was craving Taeyong’s touch ever since the kiss and he knew exactly what this meant. It was a side effect of finding your soulmate, constantly craving their touch or presence. This stopped being a problem after having mated –he learned that from Jumyeon and Sehun--, but it wasn’t a problem now, either. At least, to Youngho. He liked the thrumming feeling in his veins, his alpha begging to finally hold his destined omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought :)
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	14. Chapter 14.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tides are turning and waves are crashing.

‘’Did you know that the whole reason apples float in water is because they’re made up of twenty-five percent water?’’ Taeyong groaned in response to Jungwoo’s attempt to cheer him up, rolling around in the nest he had created for himself in his bed.

Nesting wasn’t something every omega did. During the time packs existed, which, they still do but in small portions and more modern settings, omega’s protected themselves during heat by creating their own nest. Usually made out of their alpha mates’ garments or anything else that smelled like them or gave off their pheromones.

Taeyong didn’t _have_ any clothes that smelled like an alpha so he was left creating his nest with his own clothes. -he used to borrow shirts from Yuta, but ever since Sicheng and him started dating Taeyong felt awkward doing so-. It didn’t help, in any way really, but it was comforting. Taeyong felt save in a nest and so, he kept doing it.

‘’No. but thanks for that.’’ Taeyong replied. It was Sunday, two days since his heat had hit and the whole charity event fiasco had gone down, and luckily Taeyong’s heat was wearing off.

What wasn’t wearing off was the constant need thrumming in Taeyong’s veins, his omega begging to see Youngho.

Taeyong flipped around in bed yet again, not being able to lay comfortably. ‘’Look, hyung, talk to me. Internalizing all of this isn’t going to help, and you know that.’’ Taeyong moved around so he could eye Jungwoo through the walls of pillows, and he sighed.

Jungwoo was right and Taeyong knew he had to talk about it or otherwise he’d lose his mind. The whole downside to that was that Taeyong had _no idea_ what he wanted to talk about. There was so much going on in his mind he couldn’t put words to everything. Taeyong hated it.

‘’We all know it’s the Mr. Seo situation, hyung.’’ Yuta’s voice rang through the room all the way from where Jungwoo’s laptop stood on his desk and Taeyong groaned. All of their friends had been skyping with each other all Sunday, claiming it was to help each other on school work. When Taeyong had snarled early on in the morning that there was a campus library they could go to, to do that, he didn’t get a reply.

Taeyong knew they were worried.

‘’It was a matter of time till your mind couldn’t convince you anymore, hyung.’’ Doyoung spoke up. Taeyong closed his eyes, breathing heavy through his nose to remain from crying. He didn’t know why he had the sudden urge to cry, but it was there and Taeyong felt weak.

‘’The way you react to him isn’t a coincidence, hyung. You guys are meant to be.’’ Taeyong stood up, completely destroying his nest and ran to the laptop, smacking it shut and effectively ending the skype call. Yukhei’s words had become too much.

‘’we’re not meant to be! Someone like him isn’t supposed to be with me!’’ Taeyong exclaimed, hands in his hair and tears in his eyes. It hurt to say it, but the universe was making a mistake.

Youngho wasn’t his soulmate. Taeyong didn’t have a soulmate to begin with.

‘’Hyung, --‘’

‘’No! don’t ‘hyung’ me!,’’ Taeyong pointed an accusing finger towards Jungwoo, who was still seated on his desk chair. ‘’Youngho-hyung and I kissed and he triggered my heat. That is all! That doesn’t mean anything! I don’t have a soulmate! It can’t be!’’ Taeyong’s breathing started racing, his heart hurting. Jungwoo stood up, putting his hands on Taeyong’s shoulders.

‘’Hyung, I need you to calm down. You’re still in heat, spare your energy.’’ Jungwoo’s voice was soft and Taeyong was somewhat comforted by the pheromones the younger was releasing on purpose. He let Jungwoo lead him to his own bed and sat down on what had been his nest.

‘’Look, hyung,’’ Jungwoo crouched in front of him, Taeyong’s hands in his and his thumb slowly caressing the skin. Taeyong closed his eyes, trying to get his breathing back to normal. ‘’I know it’s hard. You’ve been doing it all on your own for so long, but this could be it. You’ve always said you wanted _someone_ —Maybe Mr. Seo could be your someone.’’

Taeyong shook his head, ‘’I don’t need anyone, Woo. I’m just fine by myself!’’

‘’Please hyung! I’ve seen the way you look at me when I’m with Xuxi. I’ve seen the jealousy in your eyes every time Yuta-hyung talks about Sicheng! It’s clear in your eyes that you want someone for yourself whenever you look at Jaehyun and Doyoung! And that’s okay! That’s completely fine!’’

Taeyong could see the desperation in Jungwoo’s eyes, the younger wanting so bad to make Taeyong understand that what he was feeling was alright, that it wasn’t something to be appalled by.

And Taeyong knew that. His rational side knew that what he was feeling was okay and a part of him was screaming at him that his friends might be right and Youngho might be his soulmate, but it goes against everything Taeyong thought was his life.

‘’It’s not that!’’ it was exactly that and more, but Jungwoo was getting too close for comfort. ‘’You all think I’m his soulmate! I’m not! I’ve never had a soulmate! I was never _destined_ to be with someone!’’

‘’Stop that! Have you _ever_ —ever allowed yourself to believe you do have a soulmate?! Has that passed your mind, at least _once_ in your life, hyung?’’ Jungwoo rarely screamed, rarely got angry. The younger was calm and collected at any time, not once raising his voice when he didn’t need to.

So for the younger to start yelling now had Taeyong scooting back against the wall, knees to his chest and hands in his hair.

‘’No! because I’ve never had that feeling before! That sense of someone else present at all times like you had!’’

‘’Neither had Sicheng and look at where Yuta-hyung and him are now! _Fucking hell_ , hyung! Please! You deserve happiness and someone to love! Please try to stop yourself from pulling away. Allow yourself to believe. Give it a chance.’’ By now, Jungwoo had stood up and was pacing in their dorm room, one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Taeyong.

‘’and don’t you dare say you don’t feel _anything_ when Mr. Seo is near, because I’ve seen it. The way you stumbled from the car and reacted to him kissing you on the cheek said enough. What’s stopping you from trying? What’s with holding you from giving yourself what you need?!’’ Taeyong could tell Jungwoo wasn’t angry. He wasn’t angry yelling. He was frustrated. Immediately, Taeyong felt guilty.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ Taeyong didn’t know what else to say, but he also knew apologizing wasn’t the correct thing to do right now. Tears were blocking his vision but he could see Jungwoo sit down on his own bed, dropping his head in his hands with a loud sigh.

‘’Don’t apologize, hyung. There’s no need for that. I just—we all talked about this when you were asleep this afternoon. Everyone sees it.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened. That was not what he wanted. He’d always tried not to worry anyone, keeping his struggles to himself and always smiling. He didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.

‘’everyone?’’ Taeyong’s voice was shaky, tears now spilling from his eyes. Jungwoo nodded slowly, ‘’Yes, hyung. We can see how tired you are, how done your body is. Your heart is hurting, we can all see it!’’

Taeyong was about to reply -he didn’t have words ready, he had no idea what to say to Jungwoo because everything the boy had said was correct- when the duo got interrupted by a knock on the door.

Jungwoo eyed Taeyong, as if waiting for him to give permission to open the door, and Taeyong nodded. Everything that would keep this conversation from progressing further than it already had was something Taeyong would allow.

Jungwoo stood up, moving toward the door and opening it. Sicheng came into view, Yuta right behind him and for the first time ever since Yuta had received his green card to enter the omega faculty a couple days ago Taeyong cursed it.

Yukhei was behind Yuta, placing a soft kiss on Jungwoo’s cheeks before following Yuta and Sicheng to Taeyong’s side of the room.

‘’what—what are you all doing here?’’ Taeyong asked, straightening out his face. His stomach still hurt and his skin was on fire, the scents of the two alpha’s now in the room setting his senses on fire.

This was not a good idea.

‘’You,’’ Yukhei pointed at Taeyong for good measure, ‘’did not close that laptop correctly. We overheard the conversation.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Jungwoo’s laptop, which was, in fact, not closed properly.

‘’please leave. I’m still in heat.’’ The words came out harsher than the older had intended them to be, but he couldn’t help the way his stomach contracted right as he opened his mouth.

‘’We are not leaving.’’ Taeyong eyed the clock, the time close to midnight at his point. It was almost Monday, meaning everyone had internships to head to early in the morning. ‘’yes, yes you are. You have to get rest before work.’’ Taeyong eyed Yuta with anger in his eyes, because his best friend knew how much he hated situations like this.

Ever since they were younger, Taeyong was prone on focusing on others and not letting others focus on himself. He cared more for others than he cared for his own well-being and therefore didn’t want other people lurking in on his business. It wasn’t necessary, not worth anyone’s time.

So for his friends to storm into his room at this time of the day while they should be sleeping and taking care of themselves sent Taeyong over the edge.

‘’Hyu-‘’

‘’No. Stop.’’ Taeyong interrupted Sicheng with a finger in the air. He sat back down on his bed, his legs getting too shaky for his own liking. ‘’I’m fine. I will be fine. We have nothing left to talk about because apparently, you all heard it. I’m okay, I’ll fix this. Somehow.’’ A silence fell over the room before Yuta walked up to Taeyong.

It happened in a flash. Yuta pulled Taeyong off of the bed by his arm, making the omega yelp in surprise at the amount of _force_ Yuta was using. Yuta grabbed a hold of Taeyong’s chin, holding it in a vice like grip as he eyed the older angrily.

‘’No, hyung. When you take care of things, it usually costs you your own happiness. Remember first year of high school? Where you literally _collapsed_ from exhaustion?! You told me you’d take care of it and instead of actually doing so, taking on less chores at the orphanage, you got another job! Whenever you fi—‘’

‘’Yuta! Stop!’’ Tears streamed down Taeyong’s cheeks at the memory, his heart breaking at the memory of the disappointment in Yuta’s face after Taeyong had told him about his new job.

‘’whenever you fix something it ends badly for yourself, just because you want to keep others satisfied! There’s no reason to fear hurting people in this situation! You’re only hurting yourself here.’’ Taeyong whimpered.

‘’Yuta, please,’’

‘’No! I’m not stopping till you understand that you are allowed to be happy! You don’t have to _please_ everyone! Other people aren’t allowed to hurt _but_ you are?! Do you realize how _dumb_ and _unrealistic_ that is, hyung?’’ Yuta wasn’t screaming, but his voice was fierce. It boomed around the dorm, the others quiet.

Taeyong took in a deep breath, clenching his eyes shut as he let Yuta’s words sink in. Others weren’t allowed to be unhappy, even if it meant Taeyong had to sacrifice his own happiness. It’s what he grew up with thinking. It was against his nature to think otherwise.

‘’Be selfish, for once in your goddamn life, hyung, and see where this heads. We know you like Mr. Seo. We know how you’ve yearned for him ever since that kiss and we of all people know _exactly_ what that means.’’ Yuta dropped his hand, releasing Taeyong’s chin from his grip. He took a step back and Taeyong lost his balance, falling onto his knees to the floor with a sob.

‘’what’s stopping you, hyung? What’s holding you back from taking the leap?’’ Sicheng’s voice was below a whisper as he bent down next to Taeyong, a comforting hand on his back. Taeyong shook his head, sobs wrecking his body from the pain of his heat and the truth in Yuta’s words.

‘’Youngho—Youngho-hyung deserves better. I can’t be destined to a man like that no matter how much I want it to be true. He’s—he’s _him_ and I’m just _me._ I didn’t—I never thought I’d have someone, let alone a—a fucking soulmate! It’s just so incredibly overwhelming.’’ Sicheng sighed. He stopped rubbing Taeyong’s back and instead dropped his head on top of Taeyong’s, pushing his forehead against the back of Taeyong’s head.

‘’Hyung, I know how you feel. I never thought I had a soulmate, either. But now that I have Yuta-hyung, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I know it’s overwhelming, but it’s also everything you’ve ever wanted.’’

Sicheng was right and Taeyong knew it. He’s always wanted a someone, has always been jealous of people in relationships because he couldn’t have them himself. Every time he saw Mark embrace Donghyuck, Jaehyun kiss Doyoung, Yukhei smile lovingly at Jungwoo or Yuta hold Sicheng’s hand in the middle of the hallway, Taeyong felt his heart pull for something like that. Someone like that.

Then why?

Taeyong was suddenly struck by the realization that even he had no idea why he was holding himself back anymore.

‘’I—fuck!’’ Taeyong screamed, his emotions in overdrive and his mind screaming at him for being so _extremely_ stupid. A silence fell over the room once more as everyone waited for Taeyong to stop crying, the loud sobs eventually turning into soft sniffles.

Eventually, Yukhei and Sicheng managed to move Taeyong back to his bed, his nest no longer intact. Taeyong nestled into his sheets, the faint smell of the alpha’s scent’s around him calming the heat in his stomach. Tomorrow his heat would hit harder again, and after that it would be over. Taeyong was blessed with short heats.

‘’now get some rest, hyung.’’ Jungwoo’s voice could be heard from across the room where he stood with Yuta, watching their significant others tuck Taeyong in. Taeyong was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and so grateful for his friends his heart ached.

‘’what do you think I should do?’’ Taeyong asked, making Yuta and Sicheng halt from walking to the door. Taeyong guessed Yukhei was staying. ‘’text him. Doesn’t matter when, just text him. I’m sure he’s just as eager to see you as you are to see him.’’ Yuta responded, hand already on the door handle and the other holding Sicheng’s hand.

‘’Are you,’’ Taeyong swallowed, ‘’are you sure?’’ Sicheng nodded, giving Taeyong a thumbs up.

‘’text him, hyung. And don’t you _dare_ hold back on this.’’ Taeyong nodded and waved at the couple walking out the door, turning his face to look at Jungwoo and Yukhei as the door closed.

‘’I hate you.’’ Jungwoo giggled, shaking his head.

‘’you love me, hyung.’’ Yukhei wrapped his arm around Jungwoo’s shoulder and sighed. ‘’I’m glad we know what goes on in your mind now, hyung. Now we’ll finally be able to help you.’’ At the thought of his friends helping him, Taeyong’s mind screamed for him to protest.

He didn’t want help. But oh, how much he needed it.

‘’what about Jaehyun and Doyoung?’’

‘’We’ll fill them in on this part of the conversation, don’t worry about that.’’ Jaehyun and Doyoung had no reason to apply for a green card, both of them located in the alpha faculty, and so weren’t allowed to enter the building like Yukhei and Yuta were.

Taeyong groaned at the thought of his friends having to relay this entire conversation to them, embarrassment covering his cheeks in the form of a red blush.

‘’thank you, guys. I appreciate it.’’

 

Taeyong was feeling a bit better as Tuesday rolled around. As his heat slowly subdued to a dull ache in his legs and stomach, his mind no longer hazy and his slick having stopped producing, Taeyong was able to focus on his schoolwork again.

His calm day of schoolwork and for once in a very long time, sketching, was interrupted the second Sicheng barged into the room, completely unannounced, with three different magazines in hand.

‘’You’re everywhere, hyung!’’ Taeyong had spent his Monday holed up in his room, distracting himself from the pain in his stomach and the mess in his mind by watching some shows on Yuta’s Netflix account. He hadn’t even touched his phone.

‘’what do you mean?’’ Taeyong asked, turning his attention away from the delicate bracelet with the Fire Agate stone sketch he was finishing, to Sicheng standing in the middle of the room.

‘’this!’’ the younger walked up to Taeyong, dropping the magazines on top of Taeyong’s drawing. Taeyong yelped, immediately moving the magazines out of the way and sighing in relief that the sudden movement didn’t smudge the graphite of the pencil.

Taeyong was on the front page of two of the magazines. Down in the corner, sure, but on the front page nonetheless. Taeyong had expected to see himself in a couple magazines in pictures of Youngho and him on the red carpet, but what he didn’t expect was a picture of them on the balcony, the exact moment they kissed perfectly caught on camera.

‘’what—how?’’ Taeyong looked at Sicheng as if he had a clue, but the younger held up his hands defensively before shrugging.

‘’I have no idea, hyung, but what I do know is that _everyone_ wants to know who you are! Everyone is taking guesses on why Mr. Seo took you with him, where you came from –literally everything!—I can’t believe this!’’ Taeyong eyed Sicheng once more before turning his eyes back to the magazines, opening one of them on the page where it stated to mention him.

‘’ _The charity event last Friday on the 24th of October, which was attended by idols such as Chris Bang and the nations favourite face Moon Taeil, was also attended by some important CEO’s from the business side of our nation. Some of said CEO’s took it upon themselves to gain the attention of the media and several Korean tabloids, and they succeeded marvellously. Seo Youngho, co-CEO of SeoKim, surprised the guests at the event by showing up with a piece of beautiful arm candy. After we spoke to some guests attending we learned his name, Lee Taeyong. Where he comes from, what he does and what his relationship is to Seo Youngho is unknown thus far, but we expect to gain more information soon enough. We of all people hope they show up to more events planned this year, because they certainly look stunning together.--_

_One of our reporters caught this special moment between the two of them later on in the evening. A scandalous kiss behind closed doors. What does this mean? We would love to find out!’’_

Taeyong scanned the text over and over, his eyes catching on the words ‘ _arm candy_ ’. To the media, that’s all he was. ‘ _a scandalous kiss behind closed doors_ ’ this was not what he wanted.

Taeyong felt tears well up, his heat almost being gone not meaning his emotions were back on track, and he heaved a shaky breath. ‘’even they want you guys to get together.’’ Taeyong groaned, drooping his head on his desk at Sicheng’s words.

‘’Look, Sicheng, you don’t have to convince me anymore, alright?’’ this made Taeyong scared, more than anything. It wasn’t news to him that Youngho was basically a magnet when it came to media attention, for obvious reasons. The encounter with the paparazzi they had during their lunch was just a small portion of the amount of camera’s Youngho had to deal with.

He must be tired, Taeyong thought. A feeling of worry spread through his chest and he frowned, an immediate reaction to take care of Youngho.

‘’Good. Now, go finish your homework. Yuta-hyung will be back from the lab in a couple minutes and I have to get ready.’’ Sicheng took the magazines, leaving one on the desk. Taeyong looked at it before picking it up and trying to hand it to Sicheng.

‘’what do you have to get ready for?’’

‘’Yuta-hyung is taking me out for dinner. Also, keep the magazine.’’ And with that, Sicheng walked out of the room and closed the door right behind him.

A date.

At the thought of getting ready for a date Taeyong blushed, realizing it felt wrong to think about getting ready for anyone else but Youngho.

Taeyong was quick to push the thought away, moving his gaze from the wall in front of him to the magazine in his hands. It was an older volume of Vogue Korea, one Taeyong had talked about a couple weeks back because it had a beautiful sweater in it he needed a picture of for his collage, and he sighed.

No matter how grateful he was, it felt wrong for Taeyong to just accept the gifts and not do anything for his friends in return. Taeyong promised himself he’d cook a meal for Sicheng later on in the week and he felt a bit better.

Taeyong sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day, staring at his phone laid right next to him on his desk. He still hadn’t had the courage to text Youngho, no matter how hard he tried, and it sucked because after everything that went down yesterday, all Taeyong wanted to do was talk about it with Youngho before this feeling left and he’d be ready to run away again.

If that ever happened, Taeyong hoped Youngho would be ready to chase him.

Taeyong still hadn’t fully grasped the soulmate thing. It still hadn’t clicked in his mind. He knew now, rationally speaking, that there was a high chance of Youngho and him being soulmates, but his feelings still hadn’t quite caught up to the agenda.

Taeyong took a hold of his phone, unlocking it and opening his text messages with Youngho. The last message was from Friday, Youngho telling Taeyong he’d be at the gate in five minutes. Four days without contact, and yet it felt like a century.

He really couldn’t crawl back now, and Taeyong knew it.

**Taeyong:** _hyung, we need to talk._

 

 

The next morning, Taeyong walked up to the SeoKim office with shaking legs. They were no longer shaking from his heat, luckily, but his anxiety was through the roof and it showed in the way Taeyong’s eyes flickered from side to side, checking his surroundings for _anything._ There wasn’t anything in particular he was looking out for, but he couldn’t stop it.

Taeyong gulped as he got to the right floor, the elevator doors sliding open. It took him a second to muster up the courage to walk onto the work floor and when he did, the eyes were on him.

Some of these people had edited, proof read and _allowed_ the stories from Friday for the magazines.

Some of these people had probably debunked most of the things journalists had said in their respective columns and Taeyong was _sure_ if he hadn’t been the only omega working in this entire building he’d have angry and jealous omega’s to deal with, too.

As he got to his desk, Taeyong was greeted by Jongin casually sat at his own desk, typing something on his laptop with so much vigour Taeyong felt bad for the keyboard.

‘’Morning, hyung.’’ Taeyong muttered, dropping his bag on the floor and sitting down at his own desk. He didn’t get a response right of the bat, so he turned his computer on instead.

‘’Morning, Taeyong.’’ Jongin eyed Taeyong for a second before turning back to his work. Taeyong had expected Jongin to ask about Friday, to ask how he was doing or anything in that regard, but all he got was a nod and a ‘morning’ before the older alpha turned back to his harsh typing and sipping his coffee.

As Taeyong’s emails loaded, having missed two days of work wasn’t the most ideal situation, he took it upon himself to glance around the room. No one was looking at him anymore, all the alphas and betas in the room having turned back to their respective tasks at hand and Taeyong was grateful for it.

Taeyong froze in the middle of standing up to get his own coffee from the machine, his movements halting in an awkward squat right above his chair as his emails loaded onto his screen. There weren’t many, because granted he was still an intern, but there was one Taeyong was afraid of.

Even though he was the one to suggest they talk, Taeyong’s anxiety level rose the second his eyes caught onto Youngho’s email address in his inbox. Youngho hadn’t replied to Taeyong’s text, surprisingly, and so Taeyong wasn’t sure whether or not the older had received it.

Clearly, he had.

‘’I’m assuming Mr. Seo has requested to see you in his office?’’ Jongin spoke up, turning his face away from his screen to look at Taeyong. Instead of continuing to squad awkwardly in front of his senior, Taeyong decided to sit back down.

Taeyong nodded, dropping his head in his hands. He had gone over the exact conversation Youngho and him would have over a million times last night, his head spinning from the different scenarios that could take place.

‘’Look, Taeyong, I’ve seen the articles. Hell, I took care of some of them, and you’re going to be fine. I don’t know how they caught you guys kissing or who tipped the reporters that you guys were on the balcony, but I have people getting to the bottom of that as we speak. Go in there and talk to him.’’ Jongin pointed at the ceiling which made Taeyong chuckle because honestly, the alpha looked like kind of fool, but he knew what Jongin meant.

‘’I—alright, thank you hyung.’’ Taeyong’s legs were shaking as he got up from his seat, not even bothering to answer the email.

‘’If amber-noo-‘’

‘’I’ll tell her. Now get going.’’ Jongin smiled fondly at Taeyong and the younger blushed and nodded. It was time to talk to Youngho.

 

Walking into Youngho’s office was, for the first time, not as nerve-wrecking as the past times Taeyong had done it. Which, to him, was odd, because they were about to have one of the most important conversations in his life. Either that, or Youngho was about to call off Taeyong’s internship and would force him to get out of his life.

The thought of having to leave Youngho even though they were technically not even a couple nor dating, had Taeyong on edge.

Youngho was sat at his desk, eyes scanning his computer screen. Taeyong looked around to see even more files than last time on top of the alpha’s desk, a steaming hot cup of something Taeyong couldn’t quite recognize right next to it.

Immediately, Taeyong’s body reacted. Even though his heat was practically over, the pheromones still hadn’t left his system quite yet, the hormones still somewhere in his body. Having an alpha who presumably is his soulmate right in front of him had Taeyong’s body begging to be even closer.

‘’Hi, hyung.’’ Taeyong gulped as Youngho’s eyes turned to look at him instead of his computer screen. Taeyong learned right there and then how beautiful brown eyes could be. There was a soft glow to them, a sparkle of emotion Taeyong could not quite place filling the alpha’s eyes. Taeyong had no idea what emotion it was, but it filled him with warmth knowing Youngho felt it while looking at _him_ of all people. The different colours of brown screamed home, adoration and acceptance and Taeyong felt the sudden urge to curl up in Youngho’s lap and kiss him.

It was as if someone had lifted Taeyong up. That’s how light he felt. He was a feather, soft and small, and the brown in Youngho’s eyes reminded Taeyong of the magnificent brown feathers of an eagle. Taeyong was a feather, a brown eagle feather. He was a part of Youngho and it felt _so_ incredibly right.

Taeyong regretted running.

‘’Hey Tae, how are you feeling?’’ there was worry in Youngho’s voice and even though the obvious reason for Youngho to be worried was Taeyong’s heat, the omega couldn’t help but feel guilty as he realized that that wasn’t the only thing Youngho was worried about. Youngho was worried whether or not Taeyong was uncomfortable in any way.

‘’I’m good!’’ Taeyong rushed to reply, his voice an octave higher than normal and a few decibels louder. He belatedly realized that it probably didn’t help his case. ‘’wh—what about you, hyung?’’ Taeyong was still standing in front of the door, not having made a move yet to sit down in front of Youngho because, quite frankly, he wasn’t sure whether or not the older wanted that.

‘’I’m good too, tired, but that’s alright.’’ Taeyong frowned. Was it his fault? Did Youngho sleep badly because he was thinking about him? Taeyong shook his head. Eyeing the stack of reports on Youngho’s desk, Taeyong deemed his worries as overreacting and unnecessary.

‘’Slept badly?’’ Taeyong took a tentative step further into the room, his body begging and thrumming to be closer to Youngho, even if it was just one step.

Youngho shrugged, leaning back in his chair. ‘’something along those lines,’’ Taeyong nodded, his fingers picking at his nails. ‘’you can sit down, if you want.’’ Taeyong looked up and flashed Youngho a grateful smile. He moved to the chair in front of Youngho’s desk and sat down, his legs relaxing.

A silence fell over the two of them. Taeyong shifted in his seat, Youngho’s eyes focused on the wall behind Taeyong instead of on Taeyong himself. It was an odd feeling. Taeyong knew Youngho was looking for the right words to say, because quite honestly, so was he. He had no idea how to breach this subject.

Hell, he hadn’t even wanted to breach the subject a couple days back. This was all new for Taeyong.

‘’Look,’’ Youngho’s voice broke the silence first, and Taeyong was grateful for that. It left him with more time to think of his answer. ‘’I want to apologize for my behaviour during the event. What I did was not okay.’’

For the first time since Taeyong walked into Youngho’s office, he glanced at Youngho’s hands. They were bare. There were no gloves restricting them from feeling the wood of his desk, the fabric of his pants.

‘’your gloves.’’ It was out of Taeyong’s mouth before he could stop himself, his eyes wide as he watched Youngho move in his seat. Youngho looked down at his hands and moved his fingers. He nodded. ‘’I realized I—I didn’t need them anymore.’’

‘’why? Why not?’’ Taeyong couldn’t think of anything, any reason as to why Youngho would have worn gloves for so long and _suddenly_ after they touched he didn’t need them anymore.

‘’Well, I found what I was looking for, didn’t I?’’ Taeyong blushed, because that he could decipher. It was a subtle flirt, Youngho allowing Taeyong to back out of it any moment he so desired.

Taeyong didn’t want to pull back, not anymore.

In a spur of the moment spark of emotions, Taeyong reached out his hand. He froze, realizing what he was doing, but before he could pull his hand back Youngho intertwined their fingers.

The reaction wasn’t the same. There was no heat spreading through Taeyong’s body like rapid fire. His knees didn’t buckle and his breath didn’t speed up. What he did feel, though, was a sudden shiver of calmness wafting over him, forcing him to relax in his seat with Youngho’s hand still intertwined with his.

Youngho smiled, one that reached his eyes, and Taeyong felt butterflies erupt in his stomach. He inhaled softly, relishing in the way Youngho’s scent seemed to grow stronger from Taeyong’s touch. It was enveloping Taeyong and probably wouldn’t leave for a couple days. Taeyong was fine with that.

‘’You found what you were looking for?’’ Taeyong asked shyly. His voice was soft, just above a whisper. Youngho nodded, moving to caress the skin of Taeyong’s hand with his thumb. ‘’I was looking for you, and I found you.’’

It was like Taeyong fell off a one story building. Not enough to kill him, but enough to knock the breath out of him and make him feel hazy. The constant physical contact had Taeyong’s mind reeling, his left over hormones kicking in.

‘’I’m scared, hyung.’’ Youngho sighed. It wasn’t a disappointed sigh, Taeyong could feel it in the way Youngho continued caressing his hand. ‘’I know, Tae, and that’s fine. We’ll figure it out, don’t worry.’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, relishing in this moment where he could _finally_ hold onto Youngho.

Telling Youngho he was scared was something he had rehearsed in his head over and over again, laying in his bed and overanalysing this exact conversation thousands of times. In the end, it was easier than Taeyong had expected. It felt comfortable to share such a thing with Youngho.

Taeyong guessed that was a start.

‘’before we start—whatever this all is, I need to know something.’’ Taeyong nodded at Youngho’s words, egging him to continue.

‘’Do you believe I’m your soulmate?’’ Taeyong fell silent, the question hitting him square in the chest. He knew, at this point, that Youngho was his soulmate. It was as clear as day and honestly Taeyong thought himself dumb for not realizing it sooner. Then again, he did have quite the existential crisis during the time he has worked for Youngho, but there was something holding him back.

Taeyong could see that now. He could see that there was no reason for him to hold back other than his own anxieties, his fear to lose control after having it for such a long time. But, he wanted this. Taeyong wanted this so badly it hurt his heart thinking about all of this fading away.

‘’Yes. Yes I do.’’ Came his answer, and Youngho sighed in relief. ‘’that’s good. That’s amazing.’’ Youngho was smiling so wide it made Taeyong smile too, tears welling up in his eyes as warmth spread through his body. It felt good.

‘’So, would you like to go on a date with me?’’ Taeyong chuckled breathily, unlatching his hand from Youngho’s to wipe his tears away with a smile on his face. He mourned the loss of contact.

He had a feeling this process wasn’t going to be as hard as Taeyong thought it would be.

‘’I’d love to, hyung.’’ Youngho smiled at that and winked, making Taeyong blush. Taeyong felt giddy, like he was a little kid receiving a birthday present. It was an unexpected feeling, but he didn’t mind it. In fact, it was way better than what Taeyong had expected.

Youngho stood up and walked around his desk, prompting Taeyong to stand up too. It was quite for a moment as they both just stared into each-others eyes, their scents mingling together.

Youngho took a hold of Taeyong’s hand again, this time raising it up to his mouth and kissing it softly. ‘’have I told you how beautiful you are yet?’’ Taeyong blushed, shaking his head with a smile.

‘’you have, actually.’’ He retorted, playfully. Youngho grinned, the light hitting his eyes just right and magnifying the sparkle of emotion Taeyong still couldn’t quite put a name to.

Youngho bent down a little, his other hand softly on Taeyong’s cheek. Taeyong closed his eyes, not knowing what to expect. He whined, to his own horror, as Youngho placed a soft kiss to his nose. It was soft, quick and barely there, but the burning feeling it left on Taeyong’s skin was more than enough.

‘’My hair matches your eyes.’’ Taeyong muttered, their foreheads still pushed together. Youngho’s eyes flew up to take a glance at Taeyong’s bangs and he smiled, closing his eyes as he let out a chuckle.

‘’meant to be, right?’’ he whispered. Taeyong knew Youngho was being playful, but he was also aware of the underlying meaning of that question. Youngho had known he had a soulmate for his entire life, had probably searched for them like Yuta had before he met Sicheng.

Taeyong felt a pressure on his chest, something akin to fear, but he nodded.

‘’meant to be.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love to hear your opinions!! i'm gonna try and reply to everyone who comments because they truly make my day!
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	15. Chapter 15.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're early. thank the soft spoonies gc for that.

Taeyong was exhausted. More so than usual as he walked around the café, his legs wobbly and the dark circles under his eyes blacker than the coffee he was serving to the customers around the place. There was no contest, Taeyong was winning anyway.

After his heat –which happened every three months—there was always a period where Taeyong worked harder than he physically could handle, having missed many shifts and days of work. He had been behind on his rent for the dorms to begin with, the fact that he didn’t have his library pay check showing itself in the most hurtful of ways, and Taeyong was stressed out of his mind.

‘’Coffee and a bagel for table two, hyung!’’ Donghyuck thrusted a plate and a platter with multiple mugs filled with various liquids into Taeyong’s previously empty hands, a smile on his face regardless of how busy it was in the café. ‘’And those four are for the group at table eleven.’’

Taeyong was off again, rushing to get people their drinks and food on time. By the time the clock had reached ten pm and the café was closing, Taeyong felt as if he was going to collapse and fall to the dirty floor any minute now.

He had worked the night shift at the bar before and had been in class till three, only to rush home and get to the café as fast as he could manage. All in all Taeyong had slept maybe two hours in the past forty-eight, and every surface seemed comfortable enough for sleeping purposes. Even the dirty kitchen floor Taeyong hated with a passion.

‘’You okay, hyung?’’ Donghyuck asked as they walked back to campus in the darkness, following the street lights back to the main gate. Donghyuck had his own things to worry about, so the older omega just nodded.

‘’Yeah, just tired.’’ That wasn’t a lie in any shape or form and Donghyuck seemed satisfied with the answer. They continued in silence for a while, just walking along side each other with the occasional noise of a pebble being kicked forward.

‘’How’s Mark?’’ Asking about Mark always opened the younger’s mind up more than usual, and so as they entered the omega faculty and went their separate ways, Taeyong was completely up to date with some sort of website Mark was programming with a group of classmates for extra cash –or fun, Taeyong wasn’t sure—.It was unnecessary information but Donghyuck looked so _proud_ talking about his boyfriend’s achievement, it made Taeyong feel warm inside.

He wondered if he’d be the same with Youngho and his business deals.

_Youngho._

Taeyong hadn’t seen Youngho in two weeks. He himself had been busy with working his jobs and school, while the alpha had just flown home from a week length business trip to London.

They had texted, though, and a short FaceTime call at four am when Taeyong had just gotten home from a shift. Youngho hadn’t seemed too pleased, but Taeyong had shrugged it off.

Taeyong entered his dorm room as quiet as he could, Jungwoo probably already in bed. But as he opened the door fully, he saw the younger sitting at his desk, furiously typing away. ‘’Still that assignment?’’ Taeyong asked, startling Jungwoo and causing him to jump from his chair.

‘’Jesus hyung, you scared me.’’ Taeyong chuckled, dropping himself on his bed without batting an eye. He so badly wanted to sleep and wake up energized for tomorrow, his date with Youngho being later that night, but he couldn’t. He had some homework to do.

‘’How was work?’’ Jungwoo turned his chair around, leaning back and crossing his arms. At the look on Taeyong’s face –tired, solemn and incredibly worn—he frowned, hanging his head.

‘’Which of the two?’’ Taeyong joked. Jungwoo sighed, though, not too pleased with it. ‘’It was alright.’’ Jungwoo raised his head again, rolling his eyes. ‘’You’re going to work yourself to death one of these days, hyung.’’ This time, it was Taeyong’s turn to roll his eyes.

‘’I’ll be fine! I just need sleep, and lots of it.’’

‘’Go get ready for bed then, dumbass.’’ Taeyong shook his head, groaning. ‘’Can’t, professor Choi is a bitch.’’

‘’When are you supposed to hand it in?’’ Jungwoo asked, turning around to close his laptop. Taeyong sighed, turning himself around so he was laying on his back, head hanging off the bed and eyes looking at Jungwoo. Well, as much as they could, his eye lids half closed.

‘’Tomorrow. It’s just the outline, but I haven’t started yet.’’ Taeyong bit his lip as he saw Jungwoo’s shocked expression.

‘’When did you get this assigned?’’ Taeyong opened and closed his mouth, not really willing to answer. The look on Jungwoo’s face, disappointed and worried, changed his mind.

‘’Two weeks ago, but I’ve been working too much so I didn’t have time.’’ Jungwoo let out an exasperated sigh. Taeyong pouted, not wanting to make his best friend angry with him. He couldn’t change any of this, even if he wanted to. Taeyong didn’t have any other means to pay for college, working his ass off was all he could and knew how to do.

‘’Look, I’ll be fine. Trust me.’’

 

Turns out, writing an outline for a paper till three am didn’t mean Taeyong would be fine. He had rushed into class –having slept through his alarm—and handed in his work before rushing back out. There weren’t any classes that day, luckily, and so Taeyong rushed back toward the dorm to get some well-deserved sleep.

When he arrived there, though, he was met with Youngho’s driver at the entrance of the faculty.

‘’Mr. Lee!’’ Mark exclaimed, a smile on his face. Taeyong smiled back, trying to be as friendly as he could seeing he was about to collapse to the floor from fatigue, his eyes on the white package Mark was holding.

‘’Taeyong is okay, really. What are you doing here?’’ Taeyong felt rude asking, but it was clear Mark was here for him and no one else.

‘’I’m here to present you with this package and deliver a message from Mr. Seo straight to you.’’ Mark held the white box out to Taeyong and he took it with a shaking hand. On the box, in beautiful gold cursive with the lines of drawn diamonds around it, was the name of one of Taeyong’s favourite fashion brands.

‘ _Jong-Kim-Dae’._ The name stared at Taeyong, straight through his soul and his heart beat sped up at the thought of what might be in there. Almost immediately, shame took over instead of excitement.

‘’Did Youngho-hyung buy this?’’ Jong-Kim-Dae was one of Korea’s most expensive brands, only selling their clothes to the highest ten percent of the country, those who could afford it, and the fact that Youngho bought this for _him_ irritated and made Taeyong happy at the same time. It was confusing.

‘’I’m assuming so, yes. He handed it to me after I brought him to the office. Would you like me to return it?’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened and he shook his head, clutching the white box to his chest like it was his own pup.

‘’Re—Returning it would be a waste,’’ Taeyong moved some of his hair out of his eye, a sigh leaving his throat. ‘’You said he had a message for me?’’ Mark seemed to perk up at that, nodding.

‘’Yes! Mr. Seo told me to tell you that he is very excited to see you and, I quote, ‘Can’t wait to see him in that beautiful shirt.’ He also told me to tell you he’ll be here at approximately six pm.’’ Taeyong chuckled at Youngho’s antics, nodding his head as a response to Mark. ‘’Thank you. I’ll text him to say that that’s okay.’’ Mark nodded, bowed and was on his way again, leaving Taeyong to stand in the doorway with what was going to be his favourite piece of clothing that he owned clutched to his chest.

He rushed up the stairs of the faculty, completely disregarding the elevator, and moved as fast as he could to get inside of the safety and comfort of his own room, ready to open the package. Jungwoo wasn’t there, in class at the moment and right after he’d accompany Yukhei to practice.  Taeyong was completely alone for the day and he was ready to relish in that fact by catching up on some sleep.

But first and foremost, apparently, came the present Youngho had given him. Taeyong carefully placed the box on his desk, scooting some of his sketches to the side in order to _really_ admire it. Truthfully speaking, the box itself was quite simplistic. But that didn’t matter. It was sophisticated and Taeyong knew the piece of clothing, no matter what it was going to be, would make his heart race.

He sat down on his desk chair, taking a deep breath as a form of preparing himself before lifting the lid off of the box. Taeyong gasped, his heart speeding up at the beautiful white silk blouse that was neatly folded up and placed inside the box, surrounded by tulle to protect the piece of clothing and keep it directly in the middle.

Taeyong was shocked, tentatively bringing his hand up to just _touch_ the piece of clothing, the work of art in front of him, to just feel the fabric in between his fingers. It was magical, the way the silk almost flowed like it was liquid instead of tissue that formed a beautiful piece of clothing.

Hidden underneath the blouse Taeyong discovered a note. He smiled, the thought of Youngho writing this at his desk or maybe even on the couch in his home filling his heart and stomach with butterflies. Taeyong wondered what Youngho’s home looked like. He guessed it was the same as his office, personal trinkets here and there but mostly modern, sleek and not homey.

Taeyong found himself hoping that maybe one day he could change that.

_Good morning, beautiful._

_I hope you like this present. I remembered you speaking fondly about this brand while we were on our first date and so I only thought it fitting to have you wear something so beautiful on our second one. I’m sure you will look exquisite wearing it, Tae._

_Love, Youngho._

Taeyong smiled to himself, and for a reason he didn’t dare admit, a small tear rolled down his cheek. If this man, this _alpha_ , was going to be his present and his future, Taeyong wouldn’t know what to expect. He was scared, sure, but there was something exciting, thrilling about it that kept Taeyong on his toes, kept him buzzing and kept him from pulling away again.

**Outgoing; 7:45:** _Thank you for the present. I’ll make sure to wear it tonight x_

Taeyong hesitated about the kiss at the end but before he could maul it over too many times in his head, he dropped his phone onto his bed. He placed the beautiful blouse back in its box, carefully covering it with the lid again –just in case—.

He yawned loudly, stretching himself. Taeyong moved to lay on his bed, taking off the jeans he had hastily put on before rushing to hand in his paper, and rest his head on the pillow. It didn’t take long for his exhaustion to pull him away from the real world.

 

After Taeyong had been woken up by Jungwoo sneaking into the room to get a USB-stick he had borrowed from Yukhei –which, Taeyong believed was just Jungwoo’s way of making sure he’d wake up on time to get ready—Taeyong decided to stay awake and get himself ready.

Following putting on his favourite pair of jeans, white washed jeans ripped at the right knee and on his left thigh just a little opening, Taeyong moved over to his desk again, taking the blouse out of its confinement with utter concentration, just to make sure he didn’t crinkle anything.

As he pulled it on, Taeyong closed his eyes at the feeling of the silk against his skin. It felt airy, light and incredibly nice against his body. He closed the buttons, leaving the top one open just to be a _little_ daring. He didn’t want Youngho to think this didn’t mean anything for Taeyong.

Taeyong was very aware that Youngho had every right to have a little doubt about Taeyong’s intentions and he was sure the public media would have something to say about it too when they find out, but Taeyong wanted to do everything in his power to proof to the alpha that he wanted this, too.

It had taken him a while to get there, but the truth is, Taeyong had missed Youngho like crazy while the alpha was away. It was only for two weeks, granted, but Taeyong’s soul had yearned for Youngho’s touch every single day since their last meeting, and Taeyong wasn’t afraid to admit that he just _really_ wanted to kiss Youngho again.

Taeyong giggled to himself, putting on the make-up Jungwoo allowed him to borrow. He used his own mascara, an old one he found in the sale bin at the local convenience store, applying it to make his eyes look a _tad_ bigger.

He checked himself out in the small mirror on his desk and sighed. Taeyong hoped Youngho would like it. He had seen the male strut around with models, rich and sophisticated women from all around the world and even men that were much more beautiful than Taeyong ever will be, and he was scared he couldn’t top that.

Then again, Youngho did call him beautiful. The thought alone made Taeyong blush like a twelve year old school girl.

Taeyong moved again, this time to check his phone ever since he had fallen asleep. There were some texts of his friends being goofballs in their group chat which Taeyong didn’t reply to, immediately opening his last unread text from Youngho instead.

**Youngho :); 9:45:** _God, Tae, I’m one hundred percent sure you’ll look incredible. I can’t wait to see you again x_

Taeyong felt his heart swell, checking the current time. Youngho would be at the entrance of the omega faculty in less than twenty minutes, but he couldn’t help himself as he replied

**Outgoing; 17:43:** _can’t wait to see you either, I’m ready._

 

Taeyong had asked Youngho to not make a scene out of picking him up a couple nights back. Taeyong didn’t want people to start whispering about him and who he was with, and so as Youngho texted him saying he was at the main gate, the omega expected a simple car –Youngho had told him he had quite a few—and no driver.

Instead, Taeyong was greeted with the exact opposite of his request: a sparkly white BMW stood alongside the sidewalk, Mark standing in front of an open car door waiting for Taeyong to enter the vehicle.

Some students –much to Taeyong’s chagrin—had already stopped to look and wait for the person who this car was destined to pick up. Taeyong blushed as he walked up to the BMW, his head down in mixed embarrassment and pride.

Mark bowed to him and smiled, whispering a quick ‘I’m sorry’ into Taeyong’s ear as the omega stepped into the car. He giggled, waving Mark off with a smile before the beta closed the door.

Taeyong was hit with the scent he had missed so much, the smell surrounding him and he smiled to himself.

Immediately, even before Taeyong could _say_ anything or turn to face Youngho, his hand reached out and intertwined their fingers. Taeyong flushed a deeper red, almost reaching the Bordeaux a beautiful pair of pants from Hermes he had seen online and put in his shopping cart knowing full well he couldn’t afford it, at the bold actions of the alpha, a giggle leaving his lips as contentment took over his features. It led him to relax in his –very comfortable—car seat and he clutched Youngho’s hand.

God, Taeyong had missed him.

‘’Good evening, beautiful.’’ The atmosphere in the car was airy, comfortable, and so Taeyong chuckled at the corny line, turning to look at Youngho who was smiling. He wasn’t smiling for Taeyong, he was smiling _at_ the omega. Taeyong felt his heart well up in size.

‘’Good evening, handsome.’’ Every ounce of irritation Taeyong had over the extravagant pick-up and the expensive blouse left his system as he watched Youngho tip his head back and laugh. He looked carefree in doing so, and the younger of the two wondered whether the CEO was like this a lot, or just with him.

‘’You look ethereal, like I predicted.’’ Youngho commented. Taeyong blushed, again, and let Youngho rake his eyes over him. They seemed to halt for a second at the rips in the white washed pair of jeans, but they travelled back up hastily. Taeyong adjusted his coat with a blush.

‘’Thank you, hyung. You don’t look too bad yourself, either.’’ Youngho was wearing something more casual than usual. He wasn’t clad in his signature suit and tie, just wearing dress pants and a button up with the sleeves folded at the elbows –Taeyong _really_ liked that look—and he looked so incredibly handsome like this the omega couldn’t take his eyes off of the alpha.

‘’Thank you, Tae.’’ They fell into comfortable chatter, Taeyong relaying the events of the past two weeks back to Youngho. He didn’t leave out the fact that he had worked a lot, just the moments where he felt like collapsing as to not worry the older, and Youngho listened attentively.

They drove through town, the occasional question from Mark whether they were comfortable or not or liked the music on the radio the only time their conversation stilled. Youngho told him about his business trip, how one of the potential investors had finally signed a contract with them after some _very_ long business meetings and dinners and how they had celebrated by watching a musical in the London Theatre on the last day. Youngho talked about how beautiful London was and Taeyong listened carefully, not wanting to miss anything.

He had never been out of the country before. Somehow, he had a feeling Youngho would change that one day.

‘’Sir, we have arrived.’’ Mark announced after a twenty minute car ride. Taeyong took his eyes off of Youngho for the first time ever since he got into the car and took a glance outside. They were still in the city, granted there was no way they would’ve gotten _out_ of the city in just twenty minutes, but it looked as if though they weren’t there anymore.

The restaurant –Taeyong guessed it was a restaurant, he couldn’t be too sure—had large amounts of flora outside, crawling up the walls and covering wooden arches. Even some tables Taeyong could see were covered in flowers, leaving only the table surface clean.

‘’This—this looks stunning, hyung.’’ Taeyong commented, turning to look back at Youngho with wide eyes. The older smiled, nodding his head. ‘’I went here once on recommendation from Junmyeon-hyung. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’’ Taeyong nodded and moved to open the car door, only to be shocked as Mark had beaten him to it from the outside.

That was something Taeyong would probably never get used to.

They made their way out of the car into the cold November air. Youngho put on a beautiful black coat, faux fur lining the edges. It looked warm and Taeyong envied him, he himself shivering already in his worn jacket. Youngho frowned for a second, before wrapping his arm around Taeyong’s shoulders.

As they walked toward the entrance Taeyong felt himself warming up just from Youngho’s body heat. He couldn’t help but push closer to the older, the alpha radiating warmth and making Taeyong feel cosy.

They were greeted by a very neatly dressed woman, who judging from the way her cheeks blushed a bright red was an omega, and recognized Youngho. She bowed her head deep, looking up with a look in her eyes that had Taeyong’s hair on edge.

‘’Mr. Seo! Thank you for choosing our restaurant! Did you have a reservation?’’ She asked, her voice awfully cheery and dripping with a flirtatious tone. Taeyong’s skin crawled and Youngho seemed to sense it, pulling him a little closer.

The girl eyed Taeyong, her eyes moving back to Youngho in an instant. Her smile was still the same. She didn’t _care_ that Taeyong was here. Even though he had never met this girl and would probably never see her again after the evening had ended, Taeyong felt a pang in his chest at the knowledge.

‘’I did, yes. A table for two under my name.’’ The girl nodded, turning around to check the computer that was a few feet away. She walked with an overexaggerated sway in her hips and Taeyong couldn’t help but scoff.

‘’Jealous?’’ Youngho leaned in to Taeyong’s ear, his breath ghosting over the sensitive skin. Taeyong blushed, gulping. He didn’t have to answer, though, because Youngho knew already. The alpha pulled back a little as the girl made her way back to them, Youngho seemingly satisfied with his effect on Taeyong.

‘’Your table is ready. Please follow me!’’ Her cheery voice made Taeyong want to roll his eyes, his irritation growing more and more every second as they made their way toward their table.

The restaurant was even prettier on the inside than it was on the outside. As they manoeuvred their way through tables, people eating and chatting all around, Taeyong noticed the flora was an ongoing theme. There were plants growing onto the walls, some even reaching the ceilings. Pots and plants were neatly placed in corners, areas where not a lot of people walked. No surface was left uncovered, except for the spaces people needed to use.

Taeyong loved it.

‘’Here we are.’’ The girl motioned at a table, bowing her head. ‘’A waiter will be with you shortly.’’ With that, and a _very_ obvious wink aimed at Youngho, she was gone. Taeyong was about to say something about it but was silenced as Youngho pulled a chair back, motioning for him to sit down.

‘’I can do that myself, you know.’’ Taeyong muttered under his breath, taking a seat nonetheless. Youngho leant down and placed a soft kiss on Taeyong’s cheek, whispering a ‘I know you can.’ Into his ear before taking a step away and sitting down himself.

‘’It’s beautiful here.’’ Taeyong repeated his compliment from back when they had stood out in the cold and Youngho smiled. The omega wiggled out of his jacket, hanging it on the back of his seat. Youngho mimicked his actions, revealing his beautiful torso to the world.

Taeyong had to close his eyes for a second, willing away the thoughts that came to mind. Youngho looked absolutely amazing in the dim lights of the restaurant, his hair glistening and all Taeyong wanted to do was pet it.

‘’That girl seemed _really_ into you, hyung.’’ Taeyong commented, leaning in a little to rest his elbows on the glass table. Youngho chuckled, shaking his head. ‘’It happens, Taeyongie. I’ve only got eyes for you, though.’’

Taeyong’s eyes widened, not having expected such a response. He flushed a dark red before leaning back in his chair, his heart beat speeding up.

‘’Besides,’’ Youngho continued, ‘’I’m sure you have tons of alpha’s looking your way. I’ll have to fight for you.’’ Taeyong giggled, shaking his head. ‘’The only alpha’s you’ll have to fight are Yuta, Jaehyun and Yukhei. Maybe Doyoung, but he’s not that protective.’’ Youngho smiled at that, leaning on his hands.

‘’I’m not going to fight your friends, Tae.’’ It was a joke, obviously Taeyong knew Youngho wasn’t going to fight his friends, but there was a certain sense of seriousness in Youngho’s voice. ‘’I hope they’ll like me, though.’’ Taeyong chuckled at that. It was his turn to shake his head this time.

‘’You’re the one who’s taking me out of the house. Besides work and school I don’t get out much. I’m sure they’ll love you just fine, hyung.’’ Realizing what he had just said made Taeyong close his mouth. It all sounded so serious, like Youngho was meeting his parents soon. They weren’t even official yet and here they were, wondering whether or not Taeyong’s friends were going to like Youngho or not.

Youngho snickered. ‘’Well, I’m glad I can do that for you.’’

Soon enough the waiter came, taking their orders for drinks and handing them a menu. After Youngho had ordered his sweet white wine and Taeyong had ordered his glass of cola, they turned to their menu’s.

‘’This—this is way too expensive!’’ Taeyong’s eyes bulged out of their sockets at the prices of some of these foods, turning to look at Youngho who didn’t seem phased at all. Instead, he smiled at Taeyong. ‘’I’m taking you out, remember? I’m paying.’’ Taeyong grumbled, feeling weird having Youngho pay for literally everything tonight except the clothing he was wearing.

Which, that wasn’t true either. He was wearing a blouse Youngho had bought for him. ‘’Thank you for the blouse, hyung. It’s beautiful.’’ Taeyong had thanked him already, he knew that, but he felt like saying it in person. Two of his fingers fiddled with the fabric, rolling and pinching it as he waited for Youngho’s reply.

‘’Of course, _babe._ You look irresistible wearing it.’’ Taeyong’s breath hitched at the sudden use of a new nickname and Youngho seemed to realise what he had said. Before he could take it back, though, the omega opened his mouth.

‘’Thank you, hyung. I like the nickname, by the way.’’ It was a sudden surge of confidence, but Taeyong truly enjoyed the nickname, loving the way it rolled off of Youngho’s tongue like he was meant to call Taeyong that.

‘’I’ll keep it in mind.’’ Youngho had the audacity to wink, leaving Taeyong’s heart beating faster than he knew was healthy. A comfortable silence fell over them after that, the only thing breaking the silence Taeyong’s little gasps at the amount of money people spent on food.

‘’Have you been able to make your decision yet?’’ The waiter was back and Taeyong jumped in his seat ever so slightly, so emerged in the menu he didn’t see nor hear the waiter approaching.

Youngho ordered for the both of them, choosing several dishes and small side dishes Taeyong had heard of but never tasted before. The waiter smiled, bowed and took the menu’s before leaving their table.

‘’I have no idea what you just ordered, but I’m excited.’’ Youngho laughed at that, his eyes barely opened as he smiled. Taeyong thought it was endearing.

‘’You’ll love it, I’m sure. And if you do, we’ll come here more often.’’ At the thought of eating here with Youngho more often, enjoying each-others company and spending more time together, had Taeyong smiling.

‘’I’d like that.’’

They fell into easy conversation after that, taking sips of their drinks and taking bites of the food after it had arrived. Taeyong couldn’t stop himself from sighing in pure bliss at how good the food was and Youngho had to stop himself from kissing the omega right on the spot.

It was a fun night all together and by the time they were sipping on a cup of tea for dessert, Taeyong’s heart was filled with adoration, happiness and calmness.

‘’What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but never did?’’ They had started asking each other questions to get to know each other better, and it was Youngho’s turn to ask.

Taeyong frowned at the question, closing his eyes to think. ‘’I’ve always wanted to dye my hair a bright colour.’’ Youngho’s eyebrow perked up, a questioning look on his face. He put down his tea mug and blew into the water, his lips softly pushed together.

‘’Why didn’t you?’’ Taeyong chuckled at that, shrugging. ‘’I never had the money for hair-dye. Besides, I wasn’t allowed to. The jobs I worked didn’t want someone with pink hair.’’ It was Youngho’s time to frown, his eyebrows knitting together in worry that Taeyong desperately tried to ignore. The alpha looked like he was going to ask something else, but he kept his mouth shut.

After a couple moments, Youngho opened his mouth again. ‘’So, pink—huh?’’ Taeyong noticed the small twitch of Youngho’s hand, the subtle way his body radiated worry and he _knew_ this wasn’t what Youngho wanted to say. He was changing the topic because Taeyong seemed uncomfortable.

No matter how much Taeyong appreciated it, he felt bad for not talking about the things that bothered him. Maybe one day he’d tell Youngho.

‘’Yeah. I saw a model once—this _beautiful_ girl—in one of the magazines at the convenience store. She had bright pink hair, and I loved it so much.’’ Taeyong answered Youngho’s question with a smile, hoping Youngho’s figure would change from worried to anything else, really. As long as it changed, Taeyong was fine.

‘’How old were you?’’ Taeyong swallowed. The memory of him standing in front of that aisle at nine years old, all alone and several blocks away from the orphanage with tears streaming down his face and no Yuta yet to protect him, had him looking down at the table, his hand stirring the tea spoon.

‘’I was nine.’’ Youngho smiled and Taeyong watched him close his eyes, probably forming some sort of happy vision of small, nine year old Taeyong standing in the convenience store, smiling instead of crying. It broke Taeyong’s heart knowing that if _this_ was going to be as serious as he hoped it would be, he had to tell Youngho and show him that the beautiful, happy memories the alpha had formed based around Taeyong’s stories were lies. That they were in fact not happy nor beautiful.

He pushed the thought away, however, not wanting to ruin the moment. The heavy feeling in his chest prevented Taeyong from spilling his thoughts, his throat closing up. So instead, he raised his mug to his mouth and took a sip of his now tepid tea.

‘’So,’’ Youngho started as a waiter walked off with the notice for him to get their check ten minutes later. ‘’I was thinking that –maybe, if you’re into it—we could go back to my place? Perhaps watch a movie?’’ The alpha sounded uncharacteristically shy and Taeyong smiled. He would love to go to Youngho’s place, finally learning how the older lived.

The omega nodded, ‘’I’d love to.’’

 

Mark was there to pick them up again right as the duo stepped outside. It was either explicable timing or Youngho had notified him. Taeyong guessed it was the latter.

It had grown significantly colder and in the short distance from the restaurant to the car Taeyong felt his torso freeze up. The blouse was absolutely breath taking but it didn’t serve its purpose to keep the omega warm. Not that his ripped jeans were helping, but the car heater and Youngho’s touch were quick to heat Taeyong back up.

‘’Where do you live again, hyung?’’ Taeyong could vaguely remember the alpha mentioning where he resided, but quite frankly the younger had forgotten.

‘’Gangnam, babe.’’ Taeyong’s mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. Truly, he had no reason to be surprised, but he couldn’t help it as he eyed Youngho with wide eyes. Youngho chuckled, seemingly amused by Taeyong’s reaction.

‘’That’s—I’m—Interested in the way you live, then.’’ Taeyong muttered, playing with the fingers on his thigh. Youngho allowed it, watching for a few seconds how Taeyong bended them and put them back in place, before answering.

‘’It’s nothing special, really.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes, giggling. ‘’I’m sure it’s special.’’

Special wasn’t the right word, Taeyong realized as he walked into Youngho’s apartment. After having his eyes bulge out at the sheer size of the complex the alpha lived in and the fact he had _valet_ parking, Taeyong had calmed himself down just a little.

Special wasn’t the right word, but unique was. It was modern and sleek like Taeyong had expected, pictures of family and friends here and there combined with souvenirs from different places in the world. But, what caught Taeyong’s attention wasn’t what he was _seeing_ , it was what he was smelling.

At the very first inhale inside the apartment, Taeyong could smell Youngho completely bare. There was only one scent and that was the alpha’s, Taeyong’s own scent slowly mingling with it.

‘’It’s—It’s nice, hyung.’’ Personally, Taeyong was more the type of person for matching colour pallets, painted walls and furniture that didn’t look like it came straight from a catalogue, but he wasn’t one to complain. Besides, Youngho’s place was nice. He wasn’t lying.

Youngho nodded in appreciation, the both of them toeing their shoes off before padding into the living room. As Taeyong made himself comfortable on the couch, hugging one of the pillows close, he inhaled sharply. Youngho’s scent was everywhere, around him and enveloping him completely. The omega loved it.

‘’Do you want anything to drink?’’ Youngho asked from the kitchen. Taeyong had to strain to hear and he laughed. Never thought he’d be in this sort of situation, that’s for sure.

After they both settle on the couch, Youngho’s arm casually slung over Taeyong’s shoulder with the television on in the background, Taeyong remembers something. Back when he hadn’t met Youngho yet, Amber had warned him the alpha was very traditional when it came to dampers.

‘’Hyung?’’ Taeyong started, Youngho humming as a reply. Taeyong turned his head, ‘’Amber-noona told me you were traditional before I met you. What did she mean?’’ Youngho’s face morphed into something akin to a frown but not quite and Taeyong slumped his shoulders, afraid he had said something wrong.

‘’It’s not that I’m _traditional_ per se –she explained that wrong—I just prefer to be able to smell the scents around me. Besides, smelling your soulmate is easier when the dampers are off and ever since I saw you in the café and saw your intern application, I just had to know.’’ Taeyong nodded, shoulders relaxing again in relief.

‘’That sounds log-‘’ Taeyong’s breath hitched as Youngho turned his face, too, realizing how close their faces were. The omega could see Youngho’s eyes aimed down at his lips, and he smiled. A sudden surge of confidence let Taeyong to lean in closer, his lips just inches apart from the alpha’s.

‘’I’ve wanted to do this ever since the first one.’’ Youngho mumbled before leaning in to close the small distance between them, placing his lips against Taeyong’s softly. The younger hummed, kissing back immediately. His body felt like it was on fire, heat spreading through his veins at the simple movement of their lips pressed together.

Youngho moved to place his hands on Taeyong’s face, effectively cupping it. The smaller grinned into the kiss, letting Youngho push him on his back against the couch cushions as they deepened the kiss. It was slow, loving and affectionate. It wasn’t rushed, extremely passionate and both knew it wasn’t leading to anything other than breathless lungs and blushing cheeks, but that was enough for now.

Taeyong was the first to pull away, taking a deep breath before smiling. This felt good. This felt amazing, even. So natural. So comfortable. Taeyong didn’t have words for the way Youngho just seemed to fit, like a puzzle piece destined to latch onto Taeyong’s own piece.

They shared kisses and stories as the movie went on, cuddling up on the couch. It was all interrupted by Taeyong shooting up, tired eyes hurriedly searching for a clock and gasping as he saw the time.

‘’Babe? What’s wrong?’’ Taeyong swooned at the nickname, loosing track of what he was even doing as Youngho pulled him back onto the couch, arms wrapped around his tiny waist.

‘’I have to go home,’’ Taeyong fiddled with the silk of the blouse, suddenly nervous at the prospect of announcing that he had a work shift starting at seven am in the morning as the clock ticked closer to eleven pm.

Youngho looked at him with raised eyebrows, prompting Taeyong to just spit it out. ‘’I have a work shift in the morning.’’ The alpha didn’t say anything, he just shook his head before pulling Taeyong even closer –if that was even possible—. Despite the urgency, Taeyong allowed himself to rest his head against Youngho’s chest, relishing in the feeling of comfort and utter relaxation for just a minute before sitting back up again.

‘’You,’’ Youngho started, pointing a finger at Taeyong before the omega could even utter word, ‘’Are not going anywhere. Not this late. Call in sick for work and stay the night.’’

Taeyong shook his head, starting to panic. He didn’t want to tell Youngho of his money troubles in detail quite yet, not ready to spill that much of himself even though he felt so comfortable with him. He just needed a little more time.

Although Youngho knew a little bit, it not being easy to hide that the omega worked two jobs, but what Youngho didn’t need to know was how much Taeyong was struggling with rent, schoolwork and simple necessities he couldn’t afford. He didn’t need Youngho to worry.

‘’I—I can’t, I’ve already called in sick enough.’’ That was not a complete lie if you calculated his heat into the issue, but Youngho didn’t seem convinced at all.

‘’I’ll call them if I have to. You look exhausted, Tae. You need to rest.’’ Taeyong frowned, trying to pull back from Youngho’s hold but failing miserably. The alpha was too strong. He thought he had hid the bags under his eyes pretty well with Jungwoo’s foundation, covering the tiredness with the product seemed like a great plan. Taeyong thought it had worked.

‘’But I-‘’

‘’No buts. Please, babe, call in sick. I’m worried.’’ At the look in Youngho’s eyes, Taeyong caved. The older seemed genuinely concerned, and even though Taeyong never caved when Yuta or anyone else of his friend group looked at him like that, there was something about the way Youngho held him so close, not allowing Taeyong to leave that had the younger’s heart racing.

‘’Fine. I’ll stay.’’ The stress of having to figure out how to pay for his bills and groceries was soon forgotten as Youngho shot him a blinding smile before placing a soft kiss to his lips. ‘’Good, because I bought you pyjamas.’’

 

Waking up next to Youngho was an otherworldly experience. Watching as the rising morning sun illuminated his soft brown skin, the look on his face extremely relaxed and content and the way their bodies had unconsciously found each other during the night was something Taeyong could most definitely get used to.

He was tucked against Youngho’s chest, feeling safe in his arms and against his broad chest. When Taeyong inhaled he was greeted with Youngho’s scent and even though he couldn’t smell it himself, he was sure his own was mixed with it.

‘’Morning, beautiful.’’ During the remainder of last night Youngho had given more compliments, touching Taeyong more when they shared kisses and when they didn’t. Taeyong hoped he’d never stop.

‘’Morning, handsome.’’ A big smile found its way across Youngho’s face and Taeyong’s heart fluttered knowing he was the one who caused that. Taeyong returned it fully, reaching up to place a kiss on Youngho’s lips before pulling away again.

He sighed, turning on his back and looking around the room. Youngho’s room was at least twice the size of Taeyong’s entire dorm, not counting his walk in closet he had shown Taeyong right before they went to bed.

It was luxurious and Taeyong couldn’t help but feel as if he was on cloud nine.

‘’Your bed is _extremely_ comfortable, hyung. If you don’t watch out I might sleep here more often.’’ Taeyong stretched himself, his back arching off the bed and his limbs cracking deliciously. Youngho hummed, pulling Taeyong back in. It was ridiculously domestic and way too cheesy for two people who weren’t officially dating, but neither of the two minded one bit.

‘’Who says I’d mind that?’’ Youngho teased and Taeyong giggled, leaning his head back against the alpha’s chest with a satisfied grin on his chest.

‘’You have been warned.’’ Taeyong retorted, his heart beating in his chest rapidly at the thought of sleeping here more often. In Youngho’s bed. With Youngho.

‘’I’m a _very_ responsible person. I’ll take the responsibility and say I don’t need a warning.’’ Taeyong cackled, shaking his head as he laughed. Youngho was laughing too, Taeyong could hear and feel it around him. It was one of the best sounds he’d ever heard, music to his ears.

‘’Hyung?’’ After a few more minutes of relishing in each other’s touch and scents, Taeyong felt like asking the question. It felt right to do in this moment, a minute in time that seemed so perfect nothing could possibly go wrong.

Youngho hummed, nosing along the nape of Taeyong’s neck with his head bent down, waiting for Taeyong to continue.

‘’What are we?’’ Taeyong could feel Youngho’s breath hitch in his throat, his movements halting. Taeyong felt panic rise in his chest, spreading through his body like wildfire. Before he could take his question back, however, he felt the grip Youngho had on his waist tighten and a sigh leaving the older his lips.

‘’I thought you’d never ask.’’ He responded, placing a kiss on Taeyong’s shoulder. ‘’Whatever you want it to be, babe.’’ Taeyong knew, had an inkling, that Youngho wanted them to be together. It wasn’t hard to put the puzzle pieces together and Taeyong felt himself liking the finished puzzle.

But, the ball was in Taeyong’s court. The omega realized that that was probably going to be a reoccurring phenomenon between the two of them, because no matter how much of an _alpha_ Youngho was, he was still human and did not believe in the weird hierarchy some alpha’s believed in. Despite their soulmate bond, Taeyong was still an independent person to Youngho.

Taeyong appreciated that.

‘’I’d quite like the title boyfriends.’’ His voice was soft but he could feel smile against his shoulder, mimicking the one Taeyong had already been wearing.

‘’Then I like that, too.’’ Taeyong turned around in Youngho’s grip. He closed his eyes, leaning in to plant another kiss to Youngho’s smiling lips.

‘’I’m so glad I found you, Taeyong.’’ A warmth spread through Taeyong’s body, leaving his skin tingling. He pulled back, watching Youngho close his eyes and he just looked so _happy_ , so utterly blissed out it made the omega’s heart jump in his chest.

‘’I’m glad you found me too, hyung.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so it begins 
> 
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	16. Chapter 16.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving the people what they want.

Winter was in full swing, the temperatures dropping lower each and every day. Taeyong was shivering in his worn out winter jacket, cursing said cold for making his lips turn blue as he made his way back to campus with Yuta, plastic bags in frozen hands from the grocery store.

‘’Do you have plans tonight?’’ Yuta asked, turning his head for a quick second to look at Taeyong. Contrary to the omega, Yuta was wearing a nice, warm looking jacket he had gotten as a gift from Sicheng. He was bundled up and warm. Taeyong was slightly envious of the alpha as another gust of wind ripped through his body and made his teeth chatter.

Taeyong nodded, ‘’Youngho-hyung and I are having dinner at his place. He said he wanted to discuss something with me.’’ Yuta chuckled. ‘’Do you have any idea what he wants to talk about? It sounds ominous.’’

The omega had an inkling, the slightest hints having been dropped over the past month they had been together. He had to reject Youngho’s requests to go out on dates or just hang out quite often due to his work. Taeyong had managed to pay his rent by not buying groceriers for a couple days, eating off of leftovers and forced meals Jungwoo made him.

This was the first Saturday night in a while Taeyong didn’t have work. The first night in general, really, doesn’t matter which weekday.

He knew Youngho was worried. Quite frankly, he had every reason to be and Taeyong knew that. His skin couldn’t help but itch at the thought of Youngho worrying about him, though. He didn’t want him to spend time worrying about Taeyong –who could _manage_ —and instead wanted the alpha to focus on his work. Granted, Youngho was his boyfriend now, and boyfriends worry.

‘’I have a hunch, but I’m going into it open minded.’’ Yuta nodded at that, ‘’Smart.’’. They approached the campus, walking toward the omega faculty. Yuta showed his card to the security guard and they made their way to the elevator.

‘’Text me about it!’’ Yuta yelled as he got out of the elevator on Sicheng’s floor, plastic bags rustling as he waved. Taeyong laughed, ‘’Will do! Say hi to Sicheng for me!’’

 

Youngho’s apartment was quiet. Apart from the noises in the kitchen where the alpha was preparing their dinner,  there was only the noise of breathing and the occasional flip of Taeyong’s page.

Taeyong, as he sat studying on the floor –there was a perfectly fine couch next to him, he was aware—appreciated the rhythmic sounds of the knife hitting the chopping board in the distance and the quiet living room around him.

The omega allowed himself a little time off, as he stood up and strode into the kitchen. Displays of affection had come naturally to the both of them, and so Taeyong didn’t feel weird wrapping his arms around Youngho’s waist. ‘’Break?’’ Youngho asked, putting the knife down and turning around.

Taeyong nodded, groaning. ‘’If I have to read about the gross domestic product from South Korea one more time I swear I’ll go crazy.’’ Taeyong groaned into the alpha’s chest once more to emphasize his annoyance.

Youngho chuckled, wrapping his arms around Taeyong in an embrace. ‘’Economics is part of journalism, babe. You have to know this stuff.’’ The brown haired boy raised his head out of Youngho’s chest to pout at him. ‘’You sound like my professor.’’ Youngho smiled, shaking his head at that. ‘’I could _never_ be a professor. I used to hate homework myself, I couldn’t possibly assign it to my students.’’

Taeyong smiled, leaning in a little further. He inhaled Youngho’s scent and his body calmed down almost instantly, whatever stress he had vanishing immediately. Soulmate bonds had their perks.

‘’I should go back and study more.’’ The omega mumbled after a few minutes of standing there surrounded by everything Youngho. He didn’t want to leave this precious spot.

‘’Make sure you don’t go crazy, babe. Dinner is ready in about twenty minutes.’’ Taeyong nodded, regretfully unlatching himself from their shared embrace before making his way down the hall and back into the living room.

True to his word, Youngho called Taeyong into the dining room –yes, he had a separate dining room, Taeyong was confused too when he first walked through that door thinking it was a bathroom—after about twenty minutes of more studying. Luckily for him, Taeyong hadn’t gone crazy.

They sat down and while they both chatted about their day, Taeyong marvelled over Youngho’s talent in the kitchen like he always did. It was comfortable, just chatting about everything and nothing at the same time and Taeyong realized that he had really needed this. By the time his plate was empty he felt more energized than he had been feeling all week.

‘’There was something I wanted to talk to you about.’’ In a lull in the conversation, the two of them just staring at each other for a few moments, Youngho took his chance. He leaned backwards in his chair, crossing his arms and Taeyong swallowed harshly. He felt anxiety spread through him, the ground not so sturdy anymore all of a sudden.

‘’I—Sure. What’s wrong?’’ Taeyong cringed at how vulnerable his voice sounded, the fear spreading through his chest making it hard to keep it even. Youngho took note of Taeyong’s distress and leaned forward to grab Taeyong’s hand and caress the skin.

‘’It’s nothing bad, I promise.’’ The omega nodded, his fingers finding Youngho’s to fiddle with instead of his own. It fell quiet for a second, Youngho clearly trying to find the right words to say before opening his mouth.

If there was something Taeyong learned from being with the alpha it was that he always thought before he spoke. He kept the possible consequences of his words in the back of his head at any given time in a conversation. He was calm and collected, always knowing exactly what to say and _how_ to say it. It was gratifying and both terrifying at the same time.

‘’I want to pay for your college. Tuition and rent.’’ Taeyong pulled back in a split second as if electrified, the words hitting him square in the chest.

‘’You—You’re kidding me, right?’’ Taeyong knew from the way Youngho was looking at him that the alpha was dead serious. Taeyong dropped his hands in his lap, his eyes teary already. This wasn’t good.

From the way Youngho was seated, shoulders squared and lips pursed, worry clear in his eyes, the omega knew he wasn’t going to win this argument. No matter how much using Youngho’s money made his skin crawl, the alpha was a wintered through businessman and very convincing.

‘’I am very serious, Tae. You’re tired and barely have time to do the things you love! When was the last time you picked up a pencil? Finished a mood-board?,’’ Taeyong shrugged, his mind too hazy with anger and a weird sense of hope which rendered him unable to answer Youngho’s question. ‘’I have money enough. More than I could ever spend in my lifetime. Let me help you, please.’’ Youngho looked somewhat frustrated, his jaw now set.

‘’You can’t just—‘’ Taeyong started, standing up. The chair tumbled with the sudden force, not quite falling onto the floor but creating enough noise for him to wince. ‘’God hyung! You can’t just offer me something like that! Like it’s nothing!’’ Youngho stood up too, making his way around the table to stand closer to Taeyong. Out of anger, the omega pulled away from him.

‘’It’s not an ‘offer’ Taeyong!’’ Youngho’s voice was loud and Taeyong couldn’t stop himself from whimpering in fear. When an alpha raised his voice, Taeyong’s omega reacted to it in fear. ‘’It’s a request from boyfriend to boyfriend, _soulmate to soulmate._ You’re miserable, Taeyong. Anyone can see that! Allow me to help you, please –for the love of god—and pay off your loans, pay your rent. Just so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. So you can flourish.’’ There was so much desperation in Youngho’s voice, a hint of hurt weaving into it.

Taeyong didn’t know what to say. He truly was at loss of words. All his problems could be solved by simply saying yes, agreeing for Youngho take such a burden off of Taeyong’s shoulders in the blink of an eye. He wouldn’t have to work anymore, his grades would go up again and he’d have time to _design._ He could meet his friends whenever he wanted and sleep like a regular college student would.

It was so, so tempting and by the way Youngho was looking at him, pleading eyes filled with so much worry it had Taeyong feeling guilty, he was almost ready to say yes.

‘’I can’t just accept this, hyung. I-I’ve done it by myself for—for so long. I really ca—‘’

‘’That’s exactly the reason why you _should_ accept, _love._ You deserve it more than anyone else.’’ Taeyong blushed at the new nickname, his heart racing even faster than it already was. He felt like he should put up more of a fight, should protest more. It felt weird, odd, wanting to say yes to something so incredibly wonderous.

It felt like a fantasy. Like Taeyong was dreaming.

‘’You’d—You’d really do that? For _me_?’’ Taeyong’s voice was as soft as one of Youngho’s pillows, comparable to the sound of a bird flying away in the midst of the night. The alpha nodded, placing one hand on Taeyong’s shoulders as if testing the waters. The omega didn’t flinch away this time, allowed Youngho’s touch to calm him down and reassure him. Youngho placed his other hand on his shoulder and Taeyong sighed.

‘’Of course, Taeyong. I want you to be happy, to be able to do what makes you happy. And I can see that with the way things are going, you aren’t. Not really. I know and realize that my money won’t fix everything you’ve gone through and it won’t solve all the issues and struggles have faced or are facing, but it’ll lighten the load. _Please._ ’’ Taeyong looked up at Youngho to see sadness swimming in those beautiful brown eyes that reminded him of home, that made him feel warm inside and Taeyong decided in that moment he would do anything in his power to keep that horrible emotion out of Youngho’s eyes for good.

Even if that meant agreeing to this.

‘’I—are you sure?’’ Taeyong’s voice shivered, tears pooling in his eyes, ready to spill over and wet his cheeks.

‘’Yes, I’m sure. Please, love, allow me this.’’ Taeyong swallowed at Youngho’s words, letting a tear fall down. More tears followed and the brown haired boy could only nod.

‘’Fi—Fine.’’ It was a short answer. It wasn’t what Taeyong wanted to say. He wanted to scream and cry in gratitude, hug and kiss Youngho as close and often as he could before running out of oxygen. He wanted to run around and quit his jobs immediately. He wanted to do so much, so fast, just to show Youngho that what he was doing would literally save Taeyong’s life, but he couldn’t.

He stood there, crying into Youngho’s chest who held him tight. Youngho let him cry, because he knew how much this would affect Taeyong’s life in the good sense of the word.

‘’I-I.’’ Youngho shushed him by softly pushing their lips together, knocking the air out of Taeyong’s body and making him relax instantly. This was a good decision. He was doing the right thing.

 

Taeyong felt relaxed for the first time in ages. By the time Wednesday rolled around, the omega had quit both his job at the café and at the bar. Donghyuck had sulked for a little bit after Taeyong’s last shift but he did realize that it was better so they parted with the promise they’d catch up every once in a while.

Yixing had sighed in relief –to Taeyong’s surprise—when he told the bartender he was quitting. ‘’You looked like you were about to drop dead.’’ He had said before holding out his hand and taking Taeyong’s tiny apron, making the omega laugh.

It was surprisingly hard to fall into a rhythm with no work, though. Every time Taeyong came home to the dorms, he felt as if though he was forgetting something. When he agreed to have dinner with Yuta on Tuesday he almost cancelled because he thought he had work. It was odd, but it felt nice to fall asleep at the same time Jungwoo did, or to do get back from SeoKim without having to rush away again. It was nice.

Youngho smiled at Taeyong as the younger walked into his office, making Taeyong smile in return. Taeyong made his way over to Youngho and placed a soft kiss to his lips before taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of the desk.

‘’Jongin-hyung said you wanted to see me?’’ Over the month the couple had been dating, Jongin and Amber, sometimes even Jooheon, had asked their respective amount of questions. They made Taeyong flustered and laugh. Amber had once said, after they had reached the two weeks of dating, ‘’ _I can’t believe you’re dating Seo! That’s—wow—matchmaking at its finest!_ ’’

‘’Yes, it’s about next week.’’ Taeyong nodded, a pout finding its way onto his face without him even realizing it. Youngho had to leave and spend Christmas alone on a business trip somewhere he hadn’t wanted to tell Taeyong about when he told him about the trip, and the omega hated it. He wanted to spend Christmas with his boyfriend for the first time.

‘’I’m going to miss you.’’ Taeyong grumbled, folding his arms over each other like a little kid. Youngho chuckled and shook his head, standing up before walking around his desk to grab a hold of Taeyong’s hands. He kissed his knuckles, making the younger giggle.

‘’Maybe you don’t have to?’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at the words and what they implicated. Did he?

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’I mean that you could join me. Actually—I’m asking you to join me. I know it’s a bit short notice but I don’t want to spend Christmas alone now that I know I have you to spend it with.’’ Taeyong blushed, bowing his head to hide it since his hands were occupied. Going on a trip with Youngho would be speeding through their relationship, Taeyong knew that, but everything had gone so quickly between them that it didn’t feel weird. He wanted to do this.

‘’I need to know where we’re going, first, hyung.’’ Youngho’s eyes smiled along with his mouth as he dipped down to place a kiss on Taeyong’s lips. The omega was just teasing, but curious as to where they were going.

‘’C’est à Paris, _mon amour_.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened, his small amount of knowledge of the French language he was taught when he was eight years old just enough to decipher what this meant.

‘’You’re kidding?’’

Youngho shook his head, ‘’Nope. We’re leaving next week, if you’re up for it.’’ Taeyong nodded hastily, a smile spreading across his face. He was going to Paris. The fashion capital of the world. He was going to be surrounded by nothing but fashion, haute couture and French cuisine he’d always wanted to have a taste of.

‘’We could visit the Eiffel tower! We could walk along the Champs-Élysées!’’ Taeyong was getting excited, the feeling spreading through his body and Youngho chuckled, pulling the omega out of his chair and against his chest.

‘’We’re going to have dinner looking over the beautiful skyline of the city, people watching on terraces and shopping in the most high end stores you can find, love. I’m going to spoil you rotten.’’ Taeyong groaned, his excitement drowning out his desire to protest against that promise.

‘’I can’t wait, love.’’ Youngho’s eyes widened at the sudden use of the nickname. Taeyong had stuck to hyung for the last month, while Youngho had come up with numerous of nicknames to call the omega. It warmed his heart to know that Taeyong had grown comfortable enough to use such a loving nickname.

‘’Me neither, baby, me neither.’’

 

‘’So—wait, hold on. You’re spending Christmas in _Paris_?!’’ Yuta’s voice was way too loud in the café they were sitting in. Taeyong texted everyone he had an announcement to make after he got back to his desk from Youngho’s office, and he had gathered them all in a café a short five minute walk away from campus.

Taeyong nodded, taking a shy sip of his cola. ‘’I need me a Mr. Seo, _jesus_.’’ Doyoung muttered, earning himself a smack on the arm from Jaehyun. ‘’I’m right here!’’

‘’Have you ever taken me to Paris? Don’t think so, babe.’’ Jaehyun pouted, leaving the beta of the duo to press a kiss against his lips with a giggle.

‘’That’s awesome, though, hyung.’’ Jungwoo commented, Yukhei nodding right next to him. Taeyong smiled, pleased that his friends took it so well. The truth is, he had been worried for a little bit. His friends hadn’t met Youngho yet and Taeyong had jumped head first into this relationship –granted, because of them—and he was wary that maybe his friends wouldn’t trust Youngho.

‘’You better bring some souvenirs back for us, hyung.’’ Taeyong snorted, nodding his head. ‘’Obviously. I’m getting you all a piece of the Eiffel tower.’’ Laughing filled the table and as everyone munched on their food and talked, Taeyong felt a feeling of contentment settle over his system.

He felt weird not being stressed. It was an uncommon feeling, one Taeyong hadn’t experienced since he was eleven and fresh in middle school, and he still had to get used to it. It wasn’t unwelcomed, however. The way his mind was on nothing else but his friends, not his bills, not his debt nor his next work shift was complete bliss in Taeyong’s eyes.

‘’We’re happy for you, Tae.’’ Yuta raised his beer, making the others raise their respective glasses as a toast. Taeyong smiled, tears welling up in his eyes at how his friends seemed genuinely happy.

He too, was happy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost I want to thank you all so much for reading this far, for leaving your comments and your kind words. They mean a lot to me and the fact that so many people read and enjoy a work of mine keeps me going. It gives me motivation and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. 
> 
> Anyway! I'll see you all in two weeks!! 
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	17. Chapter 17.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paris, the city of love, romance and honesty.

‘’ _Bienvenue en France_!’’

Taeyong his eyes widened as they walked out of the airport, greeted by the real life scene of snow falling down to earth he had seen from the airplane and airport windows on their way outside. He was clutching Youngho’s hand in his, their suitcases on a trolley that Youngho was pushing.

A man roughly Taeyong’s age, maybe even older, greeted them with a wave and a smile. Taeyong returned the smile, his bare amount of skills in the language carrying him far enough to understand what the man had said.

‘’Shall I take your bags?’’ The man asked after greeting Youngho with a handshake. He didn’t let go of Taeyong, though, instead using the hand that was holding onto the trolley to shake the man his hand. Taeyong blinked, another foreign language he barely understood reaching his ears. This was English.

The man, who’s Taeyong guessed his name was Stephan because that was the only word he understood from the man his rushed voice, led them to a car.

‘’Who is he?’’ Youngho turned to look at Taeyong with a smile on his face. ‘’You’re going to have to learn English, love. But, that’s Stephan and he works for one of the hotels we own in Paris. He’s going to drive us there.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes jokingly, but a warm feeling spread through his chest at the reaffirmation that he was in this for the long run. Youngho was going to have to teach him some English, eventually.

It was cold but as Taeyong climbed into the car, there wasn’t a sliver of freezing air left. The car was warm and while the omega felt bad about having Stephan put their baggage into the trunk, Youngho took those worries away by kissing his knuckles. Taeyong smiled, reaching over to kiss the alpha on the cheek.

‘’I can’t believe I’m here.’’ He whispered, his head turning to look outside. It was pitch black out, the only light coming from the airport now behind them, and Youngho let out a chuckle. ‘’You’re not actually there yet, babe. It’s a bit of a drive till you’re in the city centre.’’ Taeyong pouted but giggled, nodding his head.

‘’I know, but it’s still –I’m in France, hyung—that’s amazing.’’ Youngho smiled brightly at that, pulling Taeyong close against his chest. It was uncomfortable in the car, but the scent Youngho gave off relaxed Taeyong. After Stephan got into the car and there wasn’t a second scent filling Taeyong’s nostrils, the omega realized their driver was a beta.

‘’You’re going to love, Paris, baby.’’ Taeyong blushed as Youngho placed a soft kiss on his lips, the two parting after a few seconds. Taeyong looked out of the window again, his thumb caressing the skin of Youngho’s hand as they drove away from the airport.

‘ _’Avez-vous eu un bon vol_?’’ The two other men in the car started a conversation in French Taeyong didn’t understand. He let the beautiful language and the smooth pronunciation of foreign words and unknown syllables wash over him as he stared at the passing street lights.

By the time Youngho turned back to Taeyong with a smile and a soft kiss on his clothed shoulder, they were halfway into the city. The youngest of the two was staring at everything and everyone with wide eyes and an open mouth, leaving Youngho to chuckle every now and then as Taeyong pointed at something he deemed beautiful.

The architecture was different. It was one of the first things Taeyong noticed as they drove further and further into the city. Everything looked rather old, but the buildings were magnificent and stood tall. Before they knew it, Stephan had stopped the car.

‘ _’Nous sommes la_!’’

‘’What did he say?’’ Youngho smiled, again, his beautiful eye smile that had Taeyong melting from the inside out as he opened the door for himself. ‘’We’re here.’’

Taeyong followed Youngho out of the car, not wanting to use his own car door due to passing cars on the streets, and took his first official step onto the streets of Paris while holding onto the alpha’s hand.

It felt magical.

‘ _’Pendant que vous vous enregistrez, j'apporte vos valises dans votre suite_.’’ Stephan waved as Youngho ushered the both of them inside. Taeyong had no idea what the beta had just said but he followed his boyfriend nonetheless.

‘’I didn’t know you were fluent in French, love.’’ He commented as the two of them walked into the grand lobby of the hotel. Youngho shrugged, ‘’I figured speaking it would come in handy. The hotels in Paris were one of the first we invested in so I’ve had some time to get accustomed to the language. I’m by no means fluent, babe.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes, not believing the alpha for one second but letting it go.

As they walked, Taeyong marvelled over the beauty of the hotel lobby. Plush red couches formed small seating areas where guests were seated, the walls covered in beautiful –and what Taeyong guessed to be—expensive paintings. Long, Bordeaux curtains hung in front of the floor to ceiling windows that adorned the walls and employees rushed around to cater to the guests their needs.

There was a big entrance way to what seemed to be the hotel restaurant but before Taeyong could take a look, Youngho grabbed a hold of his elbow and pulled him into the direction of the front desk.

‘’Bonsoir!’’ Taeyong tuned out again, instead letting his eyes wander over the beautiful patterns that the wallpaper had. He couldn’t understand the language and barely had the energy left to try and do so. Seoul to Paris was a long flight and even though he got to watch Youngho solve about five sudokus and they got to cuddle in their bed –yes, they had a bed made out of their airplane seats in business class—Taeyong was exhausted.

He just needed sleep.

Taeyong assumed Youngho wanted the same thing because before he knew it they were handed two key cards and waved off with a small wave and a cheery ‘’ _Bonne nuit_!’’ and making their way toward the elevator.

‘’Peace and quiet.’’ Was the first thing Youngho said after the elevator doors closed and Taeyong giggled, laying his head on the taller man his shoulder with a soft sigh. For some reason this elevator reminded him of that one time back in the office where Taeyong almost fainted after Youngho got into the elevator. It felt like years but that moment had been only about three months ago. Back then he was still Mr. Seo.

‘’You sound very hot when speaking French.’’ Youngho chuckled, shaking his head. ‘’French is a beautiful language. I bet you’d sound amazing speaking it.’’

‘’I’ll try.’’

 

The next morning, after eating a delicious breakfast down in the restaurant, the couple made their way into the city. Youngho didn’t have any business stuff until the day after so the duo decided today would be their best shot at sight-seeing.

Taeyong was bundled up, his new coat that Youngho surprised him with warming him up nicely combined with the man his body heat as they strolled down the sidewalk holding hands. The snow had simmered down and the streets were covered in a small layer of the cold, white flakes. It looked too pretty to be true.

They went into small stores first on their way to the Champs Elysees and Taeyong, with some money he had left from his savings, bought his friends their respective souvenirs. By the time they reached the Arce de Triomphe, Taeyong had two bags filled with stuff for them. He even managed to find a cute coffee mug, decorated with a cartoon Eiffel tower for Donghyuck.

‘’It’s beautiful.’’ It was around twelve in the morning and Taeyong marvelled over the way the sun was beaming down onto the Arc but not giving off any heat. Surrounded by snow it almost looked like a painting.

‘’It really is.’’

‘’Can you take a picture of me with it?’’ Youngho nodded as he let go of Taeyong’s hand to grab the omega’s phone. Taeyong smiled at the camera, Youngho letting out an ‘aaah’ sound to make him laugh.

‘’You look absolutely stunning.’’ Taeyong blushed a deep red as the taller male placed a kiss on his lips before handing him back his phone, a smile evident on his face. ‘’Can you send those pictures to me? I need a new phone background.’’ Taeyong giggled, shaking his head.

‘’Sure. If I can have some pictures of you.’’ Youngho winked at that, and they continued on. Walking around the roundabout, Taeyong constantly let go of Youngho’s hand to snap pictures of the Arc itself but also the buildings around it. He was sure that by the time they reached the opening of the Champs Elysees, his phone was full.

‘ _’Nous voilà_.’’ The alpha spread his arms wide and Taeyong looked out onto the street. It was long and dozens of other couples, businessmen and women were bustling from shop to shop. Far in the distance Taeyong could see the Louis Vuitton store screaming at him.

‘’You’re not buying me anything from here.’’ Youngho whipped his head around at Taeyong’s words, a smirk on his face.

‘’Excuse me?’’

Taeyong frowned, biting his lip. ‘’You’re not buying me _anything_ out of any of this shops, okay?’’ Youngho shrugged, grabbing a hold of Taeyong’s hand again before they started walking down the street. ‘’I told you I would spoil you here, love. You have to let me do that.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes.

‘’You can buy me stuff,’’ The words themselves left a bitter taste on Taeyong’s tongue. He was really going to have to learn to accept Youngho buying things for him. ‘’But—just—not _here_. Where a belt costs you about four times my monthly rent.’’

‘’Bu-‘’

‘’Please, hyung, don’t.’’ Youngho let his shoulders drop and Taeyong felt a feeling of guilt creep up on him. He shook it off, though. He was doing the right thing by not letting Youngho buy him anything too expensive. He didn’t want to use the alpha for his money.

As they walked from store to store, Taeyong almost fainting over some of the prices, he could feel Youngho getting a little disappointed. Better even, he could scent it on him. Youngho’s normal scent changed just the tiniest bit, the cinnamon Taeyong had grown to love now being replaced by a slight hint of burned bread.

He wondered how often Youngho had sensed his scent changing and had chosen not to say anything.

Taeyong felt the guilt in his gut swirl up again and he sighed. He was going to have to put this weird vendetta he had with himself behind him in favour of making Youngho happy.

‘’We could look in the Boss store?’’ Taeyong pulled at Youngho’s arm till they were inside, scents washing off of them and warmth enveloping them like a blanket. Boss wasn’t too expensive of a brand, Taeyong would know, and so he didn’t feel too bad as he walked among the racks of clothing.

Youngho followed him, a hand placed on the small of Taeyong’s back, watching as Taeyong shifted through the newest winter collection. Comfortable conversation was exchanged back and forth until Taeyong broke it off.

‘’This one looks cozy.’’ He held up a grey knitted sweater against his torso, the fabric soft in between his finger-tips. Taeyong could only imagine how soft it would feel against torso. Youngho smiled, ‘’It’s very nice. Would you-‘’ Youngho seemed to stop himself before he could say more and Taeyong frowned.

‘’I’d like to see if it fits, yeah.’’ European measurements were different from Korean ones, and Taeyong didn’t have enough faith in himself to just buy the sweater without seeing if it fits first like he usually did at home.

Youngho beamed at him and Taeyong felt the butterflies in his stomach pick up again. He pulled them toward the dressing rooms, finding one that wasn’t preoccupied and rushing inside.

Youngho ended up buying him the sweater and, much to Taeyong’s chagrin and simultaneous happiness, a new pair of jeans and another sweater. Taeyong felt guilty, yes, but the joy on Youngho’s face made it all worth it.

Soon enough they were outside again, the sun starting to hide behind clouds as it got later and later on in the day. They had lunch in a small café hidden in one of the streets attached to the Champs Elysees and Taeyong was content. There were no worries, no stress anywhere in his body. There was just the feeling of Youngho’s hand holding his and the cold wind against his face.

‘’When I came here for business about seven months ago, it was way less amazing than it is now.’’ Taeyong blushed at Youngho’s sudden declaration, his cheeks turning a crimson red. Youngho chuckled, pulling the omega closer to him.

Taeyong turned his head to look at some of the shops they were passing and gasped, stopping abruptly. Youngho didn’t even question it as Taeyong walked closer to the store, his eyes wide and a smile on his face.

It sold baby clothing.

Taeyong could see tiny shirts made for pups, tiny dresses, tiny socks –basically tiny _everything_ —and he let out a sigh.

‘’What’s wrong?’’ Looking at these clothes it suddenly hit Taeyong. He thought back of that day on the train where he saw kids playing, his mind filling itself with fantasies that during that time seemed to always be fantasies. But now that he had Youngho, had found his soulmate he never knew he even had, those fantasies didn’t seem like fantasies anymore.

‘’Nothing.’’ Taeyong knew he didn’t sound very convincing, his eyes trained on a particularly tiny pair of Nike shoes. Youngho sighed, wrapping his arms around Taeyong’s waist from behind. He leaned down, placing his head on Taeyong’s shoulder and placing a soft kiss against the omega’s cheek.

‘’You’re thinking about pups, aren’t you?’’ Taeyong felt himself nod before he could think about it and he blushed. They had been dating for roughly a month and a half. Wasn’t talking about pups already maybe a little too fast?

‘’You’d look cute pregnant.’’ Taeyong felt himself blush at the words, but a warm feeling spread through his body. He felt accepted. ‘’I’ve always wanted pups.’’ Taeyong confessed, his eyes down to the floor. He could feel Youngho smile against his neck. ‘’Me too, love. But not now.’’ Taeyong giggled at the slight joke the alpha had just cracked, shaking his head.

‘’Definitely not now. Yuta and Jungwoo would kill me.’’ Taeyong felt embarrassment leave his body as Youngho grabbed his hand, twisting him around and placing a kiss on his lips.

‘’We’ll talk about pups another day, okay? Just know that one day you’ll be all round and nauseous.’’ Taeyong felt his heart speed up at the thought of Youngho impregnating him. Sure, the man had seen him in his heat for a minimum amount of time, but they hadn’t discussed sex nor mating.

Up until now they had stuck to making out and Taeyong cleaning himself up after. He both hated and loved how his body reacted to Youngho.

‘’Let’s skip the nauseous part, yeah?’’

 

After having dinner in the city the two of them head back to the hotel. Upon entering, Taeyong threw himself onto the couch, his feet aching from walking all day and his arms sore from the amount of bags he had been holding. He had lost the fight against Youngho buying him stuff the moment Taeyong agreed on that sweater at the Boss store, and he was now a proud owner of a Louis Vuitton backpack, a pair of very expensive leather shoes, three new jeans, two new sweaters and three new blouses.

It was only the first day here and Taeyong wasn’t ready for what else was to come.

He shrugged off his jacket, watching as Youngho walked over to the mini bar to get them both a drink. ‘’Merlot or Rosé?’’ Taeyong shook his head, instead lazily pointing at the bottle of coke in the fridge. ‘’I had enough wine at the restaurant. These French people know how to sell their own goods.’’ Youngho chuckled, walking over to the couch and sitting down with two bottles of coke in hand.

‘’Pretty sure you fell for it every time because you had no idea what they were saying.’’ Taeyong groaned, smacking Youngho’s arm before wrestling the coke out of his hand and taking a sip.

‘’One of the only French sentences I know is ‘ _Voulez-vous coucher avec moi_ ’,’’ Youngho choked on his drink, making Taeyong look at him with a questionable look in his eyes before continuing, ‘’And Yuta didn’t teach me the definition of that so it’s pretty much useless.’’

Youngho continued laughing and Taeyong frowned, ‘’What’s so funny?’’

‘’Babe—oh lord—I don’t know how often you’ve used that phrase and on who you used it, but that means ‘Do you want to sleep with me tonight’.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened and he let out a whimper, chucking one of the couch pillows at Youngho in pure embarrassment.

‘’I’m going to kill Yuta, I really am.’’

‘’So you’re throwing the pillow at me?’’

‘’Yes, yes I am.’’ Taeyong leaned in and kissed Youngho as a mock apology, his heart rate picking up as Youngho’s hands found their way to the omega’s waist, so easily as if they belonged there.

It took barely five seconds before Youngho was poking at Taeyong’s mouth with his tongue, asking for permission to enter. Taeyong answered by opening his mouth, letting Youngho’s tongue slide in. It wasn’t desperate, on the contrary, it was soft, loving and everything Taeyong needed to relax into the couch, or rather Youngho’s chest, and be happy.

 

Taeyong scrunched his nose, light from the window hitting him square in the face. He sighed, rolling over in bed. He was greeted by an empty spot. The same spot Youngho had fallen asleep in and the same spot the alpha had left two hours ago to finally get some work done. He still had business meetings to attend to.

It didn’t matter that it was Christmas Eve, because business always kept going and going. The world didn’t stop, at least, not the world in which Youngho lived. No matter how heavy the feeling was that was currently settled into his chest, Taeyong found it in himself to smile as he held Youngho’s pillow close.

After having made out on the couch the night before, they had gotten ready for bed and spent at least an hour just talking to each other. Youngho told Taeyong a couple of stories about Sehun and him in high school and so Taeyong fell asleep with his head on Youngho’s chest, relishing in the way he could hear the alpha’s heart beat and how it calmed him down.

But now, Taeyong felt himself chained to the bed. He wasn’t actually chained, no, his body just felt heavy and Taeyong groaned. He knew exactly what sort of day this was going to be.

It had been a while since he had one of these, a day where it was extremely hard to get out of bed. The first step was always sitting up, the second putting his feet on the floor and the third was standing up straight.

With a lot of minutes in between each step, Taeyong managed to get out of bed and wrap himself in one of the hotel robes before slowly making his way out of the room. A small smile found its way onto his face as he saw a nicely cooked breakfast –an egg sandwich with a croissant and some orange juice—and Taeyong could feel a little bit of the heavy feeling weighing him down leave his body.

Taeyong sat down in the chair, the small table having a perfect view and he could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. It was a scene from a movie almost, and Taeyong couldn’t believe he had a part.

He didn’t just have a part, he was the main character.

Before Taeyong could eat, he realized there was a small note on the glass filled with juice and he smiled, pulling the note off and turning it to see what Youngho had written.

‘’ _Morning, love. I hope you slept well, because I did. Every night I get to sleep with you close to my chest is a night I recharge better than a night by myself. My card is on the cabinet in the hallway if you feel like wandering around for a bit. Be sure to be back around six when I’ll be picking you up for our dinner reservation. Have a good day <3,_

 _Youngho._ ’’

Taeyong felt his heart leap in his chest, the perfectly drawn heart making him blush. He took a glance into the hallway and saw, in fact, that Youngho had left one of his cards there. But, as Taeyong moved his arms to start eating, he realized he wasn’t going to go anywhere today.

 

Taeyong hadn’t left his spot on the couch as Youngho came into the room. After having finished his breakfast Taeyong had gotten changed into his new grey knitted sweater and some leggings and had grabbed some pencils and his sketchbook. That was the most he had moved all day.

He wasn’t ready for their dinner date yet and as Youngho walked into the room and was greeted by Taeyong staring at the wall, he cleared his throat. Immediately, the omega turned his head and his eyes widened. He had not been paying attention to time whatsoever.

Apparently, Taeyong’s state of mind also affected his scent and the pheromones he was realizing because Youngho was next to him on the couch in an instant. ‘’Are you alright?’’ Taeyong nodded, hopeful that Youngho would believe him.

By the way Youngho’s eyebrows scrunched together he could tell that the alpha didn’t believe him.

‘’You’re not. What’s wrong?’’ Taeyong sighed, ‘’Nothing.’’

‘’Taeyong I can sense something is wrong.’’ Youngho eyed him with a stern look and for a second Taeyong was taken back to the scolding’s he would sometimes receive from the nurses at the orphanage. It felt unsettling.

‘’Can we please not talk about this now? I don’t want to ruin Christmas Eve.’’ Taeyong tried to fight Youngho but with every word he spoke he could sense the alpha getting more and more frustrated with him.

‘’No. We cannot talk about this later. I’ve excused you once, I’m not doing it again.’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, a sigh leaving his lips.

‘’What do you mean?’’ Taeyong asked, still trying to avoid having to talk about himself. Youngho raised his eyebrows, ‘’When we went for dinner the night I took you back to my apartment. You told me the story about how you came up with the idea of dyeing your hair pink. I knew you were leaving out bits and pieces but also very important parts of that story, but I let it slide.’’

Taeyong’s eyes shot open. He thought he had been convincing enough, trying to sound as cheery as possible while telling stories of his childhood, hoping Youngho would think they were happy memories.

‘’Look, Yongie. From the moment we started dating I’ve been nothing but an open book to you. I’ve answered the questions you had and told you stories about me, my friends and how I grew up. You’re going to have to be honest with me. Please tell me the truth.’’ Taeyong felt his eyes glaze over as he looked at Youngho, at how hurt the alpha looked.

He realized that keeping things from Youngho to make him believe Taeyong was happy was hurting the alpha more than it was making him happy.

Taeyong swallowed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. ‘’Can we—can we talk about this over dinner, please? I don’t want to miss our reservation.’’ Youngho eyed him for a second, clearly wary of saying yes to Taeyong’s request.

‘’I promise I’ll tell you everything.’’ The omega moved closer to Youngho, grabbing his hand and moving to stand on his tippy toes to place a small kiss on the taller man his cheek. Youngho sighed, squeezing Taeyong’s hand before nodding.

‘’Fine. But, you have to get dressed now.’’ Taeyong nodded, letting go of Youngho’s hand to march into the bedroom. He was scared, scared what Youngho would think of him after knowing everything that had gone down when Taeyong was younger, but there was also this feeling of appreciation.

Youngho desperately wanted to know more about Taeyong’s past and that warmed his heart in a weird way.

By the time Taeyong was ready for dinner and they were seated in a taxi on their way to the restaurant, Taeyong was sure this was the right thing to do.

‘’So,’’ He started, taking Youngho’s attention off of the window and onto him. ‘’My favourite nurse –or caretaker, rather—at the orphanage her name was Chun-hei. I always called her Chun.’’ A smile spread across his face like it was on autopilot as one of his earliest memories came to mind. It was of him sitting in her lap while she read him a story in the orphanage’s backyard.

‘’Her name stands for justice and grace, and that’s exactly what she stood for as a person. She was always the person to protect me from the other kids when they got too vicious or too mean. She was always there when I needed her.’’ Youngho’s hand founds its way onto Taeyong’s knee, squeezing as a sign of comfort. Taeyong smiled at him, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

‘’She was my hero—still is. She fought so hard for me, even after I had turned eighteen and I was legally an adult and no longer adoptable. She wanted me to stay at the orphanage till I had enough money to stand on my own feet, but the board wouldn’t allow it.’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, willing away the memory of Chun-hei’s brown hair falling into her eyes as she waved goodbye at a broken Taeyong, all of his stuff in two tiny cardboard boxes with nowhere to go.

‘’Have you visited her?’’ Taeyong shook his head at Youngho’s question, his non occupied hand reaching up to wipe away his tears. He took a shaky breath. ‘’I haven’t had the courage. I used to always tell her I’d become a globally known fashion designer one day and that the next time she’d see me I’d be okay. I’d be stable and I’d be successful. I haven’t kept my promise and god only knows if she still works there.’’

Youngho caressed the skin of Taeyong’s thigh lovingly, keeping his mouth shut as he listened.

‘’She always gave me magazines. She usually gave them to me after another child was adopted and I was left unadopted once again. It was like a—a gift of pity, I guess. I remember saving them up, cutting out clothes and accessories that I liked and hanging them above my bed.’’

Taeyong willed another wave of tears away at the memory that entered his mind, but he knew he had to tell Youngho. ‘’One day, after Yuta had brought me some notes I had missed during class, I got back to the room I shared with three other boys and all of the magazines and pictures were gone. By that time I had presented as an omega and two out of the three guys I shared a room with as an alpha. They were being moved out of the room two days later, so I guess they saw it as a parting gift.’’

Taeyong could tell Youngho was growing angry so he squeezed his hand. ‘’What did they do to your pictures and the magazines?’’ Taeyong heaved a sigh, his breath shaky as he clenched his eyes shut. The memory of smoke clouded his mind.

‘’They burned them. The caretakers who were working that day were picking up the younger kids from school and their clubs so they had free range. I found the remains in the backyard next to burned wood and my magazines were completely gone.’’ Taeyong felt Youngho move closer, the alpha’s hand reaching up to wipe away his tears this time and Taeyong sighed.

‘’ _Nous sommes ici._ ’’ The cab driver spoke up. Taeyong sighed in some sort of relief, happy they had been talking in Korean and that the driver surely hadn’t understood a thing they were saying.

Taeyong took his time getting out of the car, his eyes almost bulging out of its sockets as he looked at the Eiffel Tower up close for the very first time. It was tall but beautifully lit and it looked almost like one of the postcards he had seen in the souvenir shop the day before, but it was prettier in real life.  

‘’Let’s get to our table and we’ll talk more, okay? Thank you for sharing this much already.’’ Taeyong nodded, allowing himself to be pulled along by Youngho into the entry way. They rode up the elevator, a host waiting for them to take them to their table.  

The first thing Taeyong noticed as they walked in was how high the place actually was. Sure, it was located on the first floor of the tower, but Taeyong hadn’t expected for it to be this high up. He held onto Youngho’s hand tightly as they walked toward their seats.  

The host stopped walking in front of a neatly made up table with a beautiful view onto the city. ‘’Your seats, sir.’’ Youngho nodded, thanking the man before he scooted one chair back. Taeyong eyed him, not sure what to do, but Youngho chuckled. ‘’Sit down.’’  

Taeyong sat down in the chair, taking off his dress jacket like he had seen Youngho do on their other dinner dates and he smiled. Even though his cheeks were slightly stained from the tears, he could still appreciate everything Youngho was doing for him.  

‘’ _Qu'est-ce que vous voulez boire?_ ’’  

‘’ _Une bouteille de vin blanc s'il vous plaît_.’’ Taeyong guessed the man had asked what they wanted to drink because the man nodded and took away their empty wine glasses.  

‘’I don’t understand why they put them there in the first place and then take them away once you order something to drink.’’ Taeyong tried to joke despite the somewhat heavy atmosphere that had formed around them. Youngho chuckled softly before shrugging.

‘’I guess I should continue?’’ Youngho nodded, immediately reaching over to grab Taeyong’s hand. Taeyong smiled appreciatively, biting his lip to try and find the right words.  

‘’The little kids at the orphanage were all very nice to me. Usually after school, if I had time and energy, I’d spend my time playing with them. The kids my age weren’t that nice to me. No matter how hard Chun-hei tried, they continued to be assholes for no reason. But, somehow they always got adopted instead of me, so I was stuck there while I watched the kids who ruined so many of my days get adopted instead of me. Granted, I was happy they were gone, but I was also bitter. How come they get a family and I don’t?’’ Taeyong laughed at the way Youngho bristled, his grip on the omega’s hand tightening.  

‘’It was financially challenging. I started working when I was young, trying save up some money for later on. Of course as a kid you don’t make that much, so by the time I was eighteen I still had barely enough to support myself for two months.’’ Before Youngho could reply, the waiter was back with a bottle of expensive looking wine and two glasses. He quickly put everything down, pouring them both a glass before walking off again.  

‘’What about the hair story?’’ Taeyong bit his lip, holding his wine glass in one hand and the other clenching into a fist under the hold of Youngho’s much bigger hand.  

‘’The part I told you about the convenience store was true, and how I saw it on a model. But, I wasn’t happy. I was crying, in fact, and I had ran out of the orphanage doing so, trying to get as far away from the other kids as possible. I ended up staying in that store for at least an hour before Chun-hei found me. I couldn’t stop crying and I didn’t until she pulled me aside as we entered the house and took me to the room she slept in during night shifts. She tucked,’’ Taeyong took a breath, tears threatening to spill once more and Youngho squeezed his hand again. The look of appreciation, of worry and of adoration made Taeyong want to keep going. 

‘’She tucked me into her bed and read me bed time story after bed time story until I stopped crying and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion. She allowed me to sleep in her bed while she slept on the couch in the living area.’’ Taeyong finished by taking a sip of his wine, letting the sweet but bitter taste of the sweetened wine calm him down ever so slightly.  

‘’That—that was not what I thought happened when you told me that story. Thank you for telling me the real version.’’ Taeyong chuckled airily, nodding.  

‘’Thank you for pushing me to tell you.’’ A silence fell over the table, the both of them still trying to wrap their heads around what had just happened and the amount of information that Taeyong had given away.  

‘’My mother used to always tell me,’’ Taeyong looked up from where he was staring down onto the ground through the window, his heart aching as he watched a woman and a man play with a small child, eyeing Youngho with a questionable look. What was he doing?

‘’She used to always say that one day I’d find my soulmate. I’d become so enchanted by them that they wouldn’t get out of my head. I couldn’t wait for that day to come, but as I got older I got discouraged. Work took over and before I knew it my mothers words had become a distant memory, something I barely thought about. I fooled around with some people, which granted wasn’t the smartest thing to do, to fill the void I somehow had. But then, the day I walked into that café and saw your face, I could hear my mothers words again. It was like she had grabbed a microphone in my head and just yelled the words at me once more. It woke me up. You are my enchantment, Taeyong, and I’m so lucky to have finally found you.’’  

Taeyong sat there, his eyes wide and his body completely still as he let the words wash over him like a constant wave. He wasn’t drowning though, his head being held above water by Youngho’s smile and the way he was still holding onto Taeyong's hand tightly. It felt amazing, and honestly Taeyong never wanted him to let go.

''You--I'm your enchantment?'' The omega felt his heart flutter as Youngho nodded, his thumb still caressing the skin of Taeyong's hand. ''I know we've only been dating for a month and a half, but you're my soulmate. I'm just lucky mine is as awesome and loving as you are.'' Youngho winked, leaving Taeyong a blushing mess as a waiter walked up to them to collect their order.

Once again, Taeyong hadn't been able to look at the menu due to the distraction that Youngho had caused once more, but Youngho ordered something in perfect French and the waiter walked off.

''What did you order?''

With a playful wink and a grin to match, Youngho said: ''You'll see.''

 

After they had gotten back to the hotel, Taeyong was quick to get ready for bed and lay down. With the excuse of having to finish some stuff for work, Youngho excused himself into the living area. He sat down on the couch, dropping his head into his hands and let out a groan.

He was angry, ecstatic, sad and happy at the same time. He didn't know how one could feel so many emotions at once, but here Youngho was, feeling all of them and all of them caused by one person.

Youngho felt his heart break as he thought of small pup Taeyong at the ripe age of nine crying his eyes out as he fled the orphanage from the bullies he was supposed to be friends with. He wanted to reach out into that memory and hold onto Taeyong. He wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay and that he was there for him, but he couldn’t.

All he could do was try and make things better for Taeyong here and now. And Youngho was dead set on doing so. He reached into his jacket pocket, grabbing his phone and opening google.

Taeyong had told him the name of the orphanage while they ate dinner, and Youngho had come up with a plan.

As he dialled the phone number he had found on google, he walked over to the bedroom to see if Taeyong was still awake. The omega was, his phone in hand as he quietly lay probably texting his friends, and Youngho smiled before walking to the front door, the furthest away from the bedroom as he could be.

He checked his watch, calculating the time back to seven thirty in Seoul. It was a reasonable time to call, right? Plenty of people would be awake.

‘’ _Good morning this is Sungjin speaking for Sunshine house of Children Seoul, how can I help you?_ ’’

 Youngho took a deep breath, his eyes travelling to the bedroom door once more and as he thought of little teenage Taeyong being forced to work because he had no money, he turned back to look at the front door.

‘’Good morning, Seo Youngho speaking. My apologies for any convenience I cause by calling this early on in the day. I had one question, do you take donations?’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed !! let me know what you thought by leaving a comment or contacting me!! 
> 
> I've never been in Paris before, so I'm going off on what Google told me and what my mom told me about her trip to Paris like seven years ago. So if anything is incorrect or doesn't sound like Paris, that's why. Also, I'm not fluent in French hehe. So uhm, google translate was my best friend ;)
> 
>  
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)  
>    
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)  
> 


	18. Chapter 18.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note the change of rating ;) 
> 
> it's been so long and I am so, so sorry. I wanna thank everyone on twitter who kept supporting me through the hard time I was having and for everyone who waited on here: I'm sorry. thank you for staying :)
> 
> enjoy!

After Christmas eve had passed, the heavy stories that Taeyong had shared over their delicious dinner by Youngho’s request weighing like tons on the alpha’s shoulder, Youngho found himself being awoken alone in bed, Taeyong’s soft voice filtering through the thin walls of their hotel room.

Youngho smiled to himself as he listened. He couldn’t understand what Taeyong was saying, the walls not thin enough to make his words audible to Youngho’s sleepy and sluggish ears, but he relished in the slightly higher pitch in the omega’s voice.

After Youngho had finished his call with the orphanage, arranging a meeting later on in the week after they would be back in Seoul, the duo had crawled in bed together. After some lazy kisses, the older of the two thanking Taeyong continuously for opening up to him like he had done, they cuddled up together and tried to find sleep.

Finding sleep wasn’t hard, the fatigue of working all day and rushing from meeting to meeting, lunch with a few clients and other meetings, Youngho was exhausted. He had fallen asleep with Taeyong carefully laid on his chest, his fingers drawing circles on Youngho’s naked torso.

And now here Youngho was, slowly sitting up in bed and cracking his bones before slipping into a robe and making his way into the living area.

‘’I’m _telling_ you Yuta, you _have_ to take Sichengie here. He’s going to love it.’’ Taeyong protested against Yuta, rolling his eyes as his best friend protested right back. Youngho watched with a fond look in his eyes, slouched against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

Taeyong looked more rested, more comfortable than ever before. Youngho had noticed it in the way the bags under the omega’s eyes were slowly but surely starting to thin out. Soon enough, Youngho hoped, they’d be gone.

It had only been a week and a half since Taeyong had quit his jobs, but Youngho could already see the significant difference it had brought to the boy’s life. He had more time, spent the nights he wasn’t spending with Youngho by doing his homework or hanging out with his friends who had missed him dearly. Some days he’d work on his designs and Youngho always waited for the excited text message he’d receive and a picture attached.

According to both Sehun and Junmyeon, Youngho was whipped.

The alpha didn’t disagree. He didn’t _need_ to disagree.

‘’You should sleep Yuta, I’ll call you later.’’ A silence fell for a second, followed after a loud whine from Taeyong.

‘’ _Yes_ Youngho-hyung woke up. Shut up. Go choke on Sicheng’s scent or whatever.’’ Youngho allowed himself to step further into the room, a chuckle leaving his dry lips as he made his way to Taeyong.

The younger threw his phone onto the couch, watching it tumble to the floor. Usually Taeyong would have panicked, feverishly rushing to pick it up to check whether it was broken or not. But, as Youngho’s arms wrapped around his waist and a kiss was placed on his exposed shoulder, Taeyong couldn’t find it in himself to care about his device.

It was old and broken anyway.

Taeyong leaned back into Youngho’s touch, his skin tingling at the sensation of the elder’s touches. They swayed back and forth, the beat of their hearts together their only source of music blending in with the sound of cars outside.

‘’How’d you sleep, babe?’’ Taeyong smiled, his hands finding Youngho’s and intertwining their fingers before heaving a breath. ‘’Amazing.’’ He answered, feeling the taller of the two smiling into his shoulder. There was calmness, serenity and warmth surrounding them, nothing in the world more important than the two of them.

This Christmas morning was the best Taeyong had ever had and the only thing they had done was dancing without music.

‘’You?’’ Taeyong turned around in Youngho’s grip, now leaning his head against the alpha’s chest. As he inhaled, the delicious and addicting scent of Youngho filled Taeyong’s nostrils and he smiled, a wave of relaxation hitting him like it was nothing.

‘’ _Bien._ ’’ Taeyong’s giggle echoed through the room, Youngho’s heart swelling in his chest and his lips curling into an even bigger smile. He too was experiencing his best Christmas morning yet.

They moved in sync, as if they had discussed this beforehand. Youngho moved to order them breakfast, his sleepy voice ringing through the phone and making Taeyong giggle. The younger had made his way to their bedroom, planning on changing into something a little more presentable.

Taeyong walked across the room to their suitcases, digging into his own to find his ripped skinny jeans and a fresh pair of underwear. He was quick in the en-suite bathroom, washing his face and doing his hair before making his way back into the bedroom. Taeyong eyed Youngho’s suitcase curiously, tiptoeing his way over as if Youngho could hear him walk along the carpet in the other room.

Youngho had hung his needed button-ups and blouses in the closet already, not wanting to create ugly folding’s in them, so Taeyong had easy access to the couple of sweaters the alpha had packed.

He picked up a dark green knitted one, his nostrils immediately filing themselves with hard wood and cinnamon and just so authentically Youngho Taeyong really wanted to wear it. So, as he turned his head to peak at the living room through the small sliver of opening, Taeyong didn’t hesitate to pull the sweater over his head.

Despite the sweater being cleanly washed and dry cleaned, Youngho’s scent and pheromones embedded in the piece of clothing were extremely strong. Taeyong could feel his body flush, thoughts entering his brain that he shouldn’t be thinking but also didn’t want to get rid of.

‘’Love? Breakfast will be here in—‘’ Just as Taeyong walked into the living room, Youngho turned to the bedroom door. His sentence cut off, eyes darkening as his eyes raked over Taeyong’s body. The omega shyly smiled, bowing his head and digging his bare toe into the carpeted floor. He could feel Youngho coming closer, soon enough a hand on his shoulder that spread a heat across Taeyong’s body, making him quiver ever so slightly.

Youngho’s nose found its way into the nape of Taeyong’s neck and he growled, possessively inhaling the way their scents mixed so effortlessly. Taeyong blushed. This was the first time the alpha had scented him so obviously and in such close proximity, the intimate action something he had seen Yuta do one time when Sicheng was in distress over finals and Jaehyun when some guy tried to hit on Doyoung last year. It made Taeyong weak in the knees, his legs almost giving out as he, for the first time in his life, wanted to bare his neck and submit to his natural urges to be claimed.

‘’Fucking Christ—Taeyong—babe, you look—smell so amazing.’’ Taeyong bit his lip to prevent a whimper from escaping, willing away the arousal swimming in his gut. They hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

‘’It’s comfy and smells nice.’’ Taeyong couldn’t help but act slightly coy, the innocence in his words clearly doing something for Youngho. The alpha dug his nose closer down, close to the area where normally an alpha would bite their omega and create the mating bond. Taeyong actually whimpered as Youngho licked at the skin there, the pheromones in the room spiking to almost suffocating.

They hadn’t discussed mating nor sexual boundaries yet, but at this moment in time Taeyong wanted nothing more than for the alpha to rip his shirt off and touch him in the places he needed, he craved for. He could sense Youngho wanted the same, felt it in the way he alpha was gripping his hips so tightly it made Taeyong want to gasp in combined pain and pleasure, and so he edged on.

Taeyong placed his head against Youngho’s chest, waiting a couple seconds before opening his mouth. ‘’ _please._ ’’ He could feel Youngho tense, and Taeyong felt his heart swell with adoration for the alpha as the taller pulled away, a frown on his face.

‘’Are you sure?’’ It was a loaded question, something Taeyong had mauled over and over again while staring at the ceiling in his dorm because his sleeping schedule was still not completely back on track, and yes, he was sure.

Taeyong nodded, ‘’Not everything right now, but I’ve—I’ve never had—’’ Youngho’s hands were cupping the omega’s cheeks in an instant, caressing the skin with a soft smile on his face despite the dark desire swimming in his beautiful brown eyes. Taeyong hoped Youngho could see how much he wanted him.

‘’It’s okay, baby.’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, relishing in the soft touches of Youngho against his cheeks. The two hands moved down a little, finding their way under the sweater. Taeyong gasped against Youngho’s shoulder, his hands shooting up to cling onto the white robe the alpha was still wearing. His hands were cold and big, covering so much skin Taeyong felt himself growing dizzy.

He gasped as Youngho rubbed over his nipple, arching his back involuntarily as a response. Youngho’s eyes darkened as another growl left his throat, rumbling in his chest. ‘’You’re—you’re awfully sensitive.’’

‘’Is—is that a bad thing?’’ Taeyong asked, genuinely insecure. His skin had always been sensitive, ticklish to a fault and quivering under the simplest of touches against his thighs, neck or exposed torso, but he had never thought of it as a bad thing. Maybe Youngho didn’t like it?

‘’Oh—oh baby no. It’s-it’s amazing.’’ The older pressed their lips together, Youngho pushing Taeyong back till the boy was backed up against the closed door of their bedroom. Taeyong whined, arching his back as Youngho’s cold hands found their way to the slight dimple in his back, his mouth falling open to give Youngho access as goose-bumps started to appear on his skin.

‘’What do you want to do, baby?’’ Taeyong closed his eyes, searching his mind for what he remembered from books and his friends talking about their sex lives.

‘’You know what, love? What if I suck you off, okay?’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened, his legs tensing as he felt the slightest amount of slick drip into his underwear. He whined, nodding his head hastily because yes, yes he wanted that.

‘’Please.’’ He begged again, allowing Youngho to pick him up. He wrapped his legs around the man’s waist, giggling in the high of pheromones and the way their scents spiked and mingled together.

Taeyong cursed himself for dressing so nicely. In what felt like a second, Youngho had him on his back on the couch, the alpha in between his legs and unzipping his jeans. Soft kissed were placed along his thighs as Youngho pulled the fabric down to his trembling knees. With the utmost care, Youngho leaned back up to kiss him softly. It was passionate but not messy, their bodies melting together like ice on a warm surface.

Moving down again, Youngho stopped as his hands laid on Taeyong’s waist. He looked up at the omega, his nostrils flaring and eyes dark. Youngho was still an alpha and so Taeyong knew he too was having a hard time keeping himself calm. But, despite his raffled and messy appearance, Taeyong knew Youngho had himself in check and was under complete control.

‘’Are you sure?’’ Taeyong almost wanted to roll his eyes, his arousal getting too much, but he didn’t. He nodded, wiggling his legs in excitement to add power to his actions. Youngho lent down and placed a kiss on Taeyong’s belly button, making the omega chuckle.

‘’Say it, please.’’ Taeyong felt his throat dry up, heat coursing through his veins at the sheer tone of the alpha’s voice. This is where the traditional alpha came to play.

‘’I’m sure.’’

Youngho nodded, his hands moving further down. His fingers looped around the waist band of Taeyong’s underwear, pulling it down slowly.

The omega gasped as the cold air of the room hit his already hard member, his toes curling at the sensation of the change in temperature against his sensitive skin. Taeyong was already so far gone, he wasn’t sure he was going to last long.

Unexpectedly fast, Taeyong felt himself surrounded by the heat of Youngho’s mouth. He moaned, arching off of the couch as his hands reached for the alpha’s hair, tugging on it softly to ground himself. The taller groaned around Taeyong, making the omega whimper as pleasure pulled in his gut.

‘’Fuck, _alpha._ ’’

Youngho tensed, his shoulders squaring in between Taeyong’s thighs. The omega gasped, realizing what had slipped his mouth without his own knowledge. He scrambled, his hands leaving Youngho’s brown locks in favour of biting his hand instead, whining.

‘’M so—‘’

‘’Say it again.’’ Youngho had pulled off with a lewd pop, looking up at Taeyong with a new sort of want combined with lust in his eyes that had Taeyong shivering from his neck down to his toes.

The omega swallowed, the intense stare Youngho was giving him almost _too_ much for his poor heart.

‘’ _Alpha._ ’’ Youngho let out an animalistic growl, leaving Taeyong’s omega to quiver as the alpha took him back into his mouth.

Youngho teased the tip, dipping his tongue into the slit on multiple occasions. Taeyong was small and so Youngho had no problem engulfing him whole, his tongue swirling around the base while one of his hands held Taeyong’s hips to the couch and the other fondled with the omega’s balls.

Taeyong was a moaning mess, his toes curling and his thighs trembling from the overwhelming amount of pleasure. He could feel slick leaving him and inevitably dripping onto the couch, but he didn’t care. Not as he could feel Youngho’s pheromones changing rapidly around him, the alpha reacting to the arousal of his soulmate perfectly.

Youngho adjusted himself, his tongue prodding at the area just below the head of Taeyong’s cock and the omega screamed, back arching off of the couch so far he was sure he’d pulled a muscle as he came, moans of Youngho’s name and ‘alpha’s’ leaving his lips like a mantra.

The pleasure overwhelmed him a little. Orgasms he had gotten on his own never felt this good, never zipped through his body like this one had. Taeyong was out of breath, Youngho leaning up to kiss him again. He panted into the older his mouth, completely forgetting about everything and anything.

He was completely surrounded by everything Youngho, everything his boyfriend, and Taeyong never wanted it to end.

‘’Hey, yongie? Babe? Are you here?’’ Taeyong opened his eyes, directly looking into Youngho’s and he smiled lazily, nodding. The alpha grinned, placing a kiss on Taeyong’s forehead.

The boy couldn’t help but giggle, the sound leaving his lips before he could stop it. He had made a mess, the hem of the older his sweater completely soaked through, his underwear clinging to his ass with slick. Luckily, his jeans were still intact.

Youngho grinned at him in return, placing kisses all over the giggling omega’s face.

‘’So, alpha huh?’’ Youngho groaned, slumping his head against Taeyong;s shoulder. ‘’Don’t even go there.’’ He whispered, his own arousal in his pants almost too overwhelming. ‘’I like it.’’ Taeyong confessed, his voice soft and lips curled up into a smirk as his hands carded through Youngho’s hair.

‘’That’s good to know.’’ Youngho raised himself up, sitting in between Taeyong’s legs for a second as he admired the view. Even though he’d only given the smaller boy a blowjob, he looked properly fucked out. Taeyong’s chest heaved with uneven breaths and his hair was all over the place. Youngho could smell the slick drying on Taeyong’s underwear and he had to mentally calm himself down, counting to ten in his head to prevent himself from easing a finger into the slick and licking it off.

They weren’t that far yet.

He stood up, trying to will his own arousal down even the slightest so he could walk to the bathroom and get wet wipes. Taeyong giggled, easily spotting the alpha’s struggle in his pants.

‘’What about you, hyung?’’ The question was shy and despite the fact that Taeyong really wanted to take care of it for his boyfriend, he had no idea how to. Youngho shook his head, a sincere smile on his face as he looked over Taeyong’s body displayed on the couch once more.

‘’I’ll take care of it myself baby, don’t worry.’’

Twenty minutes and cleaning up and changing once again later, the two of them were seated at their tiny table against the window, a perfect and beautiful view of the city as they munched on their breakfast.

‘’Have you thought about mating?’’ Taeyong fell silent, gripping his fork in his hand as he raised his head from his crepe with strawberries and chocolate sauce to a nervous looking Youngho.

Taeyong nodded. He had thought about it, about how it would happen, when it would happen and after how many months or years of dating the alpha it would happen. Everyone did it on their own terms, their own time. Jungwoo and Yukhei mated after graduating high school and while Yuta and Sicheng were soulmates they still hadn’t mated. Granted, they had only been going out for seven or eight months or so, but Taeyong felt like he wanted to mate earlier on. Not immediately, but soon.

‘’I have. You?’’ That was probably one of the stupidest questions Taeyong could ask the older, but he shrugged it off. Youngho seemed to agree, a chuckle leaving his lips as his eyes crinkled into one of his endearing eye smiles Taeyong had grown to adore.

‘’Definitely.’’ Taeyong swallowed a bite of the delicious crepe, the sweetness filling his mouth as Youngho looked at him, expectantly.

‘’I think,’’ Taeyong swallowed, ‘’We should wait a couple months.’’ Youngho nodded, folding his hands over each other.

 

And with that, the conversation was dropped. An hour later the couple found themselves outside again, the slightest layer of snow adorning the sidewalks and covering the streets of Paris in a magical wonderland. They were both holding a bag, their Christmas presents for each other neatly hidden away as they made their way to a café Youngho really wanted to take Taeyong to.

Taeyong was slightly nervous for his gift. His last pay-checks wouldn’t come in for another week and he barely had time to buy Youngho a proper present, nor had he had the money, so instead he was forced to make the alpha something.

He hoped the man would like it even though it was quite cheesy and incredibly childish, but Taeyong had loved decorating it, treating it as one of his own designs. Jungwoo had cooed at him once as he was watching Taeyong work on it, so the omega hoped Youngho would think the same.

He was also nervous for Youngho’s gifts for him. He had absolutely no idea of what the alpha was going to give him. The older had dropped some hints over the past two weeks, so Taeyong had the guess of a new laptop or something in his head. Despite the fact that his skin crawled just _thinking_ about it, he could really use a new one.

‘’Let me take a picture, baby.’’ Youngho said. Taeyong nodded, letting go of the older his hand to stand in the middle of the street as Youngho introduced him to do so. The street itself was narrow, more like an alley just fit enough for one car and nothing more, and the street was covered with a fresh layer of snow, the sun beating down on Taeyong’s form and to Youngho he looked ethereal.

‘’Beautiful.’’ He whispered into Taeyong’s ear as they continued on walking, almost at their end destination. Taeyong felt his cheeks flush despite the cold, his hand clutching Youngho’s in his tighter.

‘’Oh boy.’’ Youngho cursed under his breath as they walked on, pulling Taeyong along a little faster than normal. Taeyong frowned, turning his head to look at what had frustrated Youngho so greatly. Three people with camera’s were following them, the flashes of their devices not showing in clear daylight but the noise enough to make Taeyong groan.

‘’We’re almost there, right?’’ He asked, trying his best to keep up with Youngho’s longer legs. Youngho nodded, squeezing Taeyong’s hand before turning the corner. Taeyong looked around, the street a bit wider this time and they were standing on an official sidewalk this time, not the middle of the road.

‘’This is it.’’ Youngho mentioned to a tiny building neatly tucked away in between what seemed to be apartment buildings.

‘’It looks cozy.’’

After getting seated by a lovely girl –who kept a polite distance and clearly had professional training, nothing like the girl waitress back at home who Taeyong had bristled at—the two of them found themselves fidgeting in their seats, excited to share their gifts.

‘’Should I go first?’’ Taeyong asked, his voice slightly shaking. Youngho seemed to notice the omega’s uneasiness despite the dampers blocking their scents, moving to hold Taeyong’s hand in his. Taeyong smiled appreciatively, planting a soft kiss on top of the alpha’s hand.

The waitress came to bring Youngho his coffee while Taeyong went for a hot chocolate milk, her French music to Taeyong’s ears as she handed them the menu for pastries and other sweet foods.

‘’Let me—uhm—give you a disclaimer first.’’ Taeyong scratched his neck, nerves getting a little too much for his own good. Youngho was sporting a frown but mentioned for Taeyong to carry on. ‘’I was—my pay checks won’t come in till next week and I spent my last ones on rent and groceries so I didn’t have any money to buy you something but then Doyoung came with the idea to make you something but now that I think about it it’s pretty—‘’

Taeyong’s rambling was cut off by Youngho squeezing his hand, his other one reaching out to touch Taeyong’s cheeks. Before the younger could stop himself he sighed and nuzzled into the touch, his relaxation almost immediate.

‘’Taeyong, baby—it’s okay. You being here with me is everything I’ve wished for ever since I was born and learned what soulmates were. You didn’t even have to make me a gift. You’re my greatest present.’’

Taeyong inhaled shakily, tears prickling his eyes as he felt his heart swell. He bit his lip, handing over his small bag with shaking hands.

‘’Thank you, love.’’

Taeyong watched as Youngho undid the small ribbon around the handles of the bag, opening it slowly. He reached inside, grabbing a hold of the small booklet Taeyong had made and neatly wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper he had retrieved from Sicheng’s dorm because neither him nor Jungwoo had it.

The omega took a sip of his drink, cursing himself for not blowing into it first as he felt the hot liquid almost burn his mouth. But, he couldn’t care less about that as Youngho unwrapped the booklet as if it was the worlds most expensive package, delicate fingers neatly undoing the tape to try and not rip the paper.

Taeyong watched as Youngho smiled, flipping through the pages and pages of ‘love, cuddles and kisses’ coupons. He blushed a deep red as Youngho smiled, his eyes crinkling and Taeyong was such, such a goner for this man.

One of the worlds richest men, arguably one of the strongest and most powerful alpha’s in the world, was getting excited over a booklet with promises of kisses and cuddles, and Taeyong didn’t want anything else anymore. This was more than enough.

‘’I love it, baby.’’ He spoke up, making Taeyong smile shyly. ‘’That’s good, because I can’t return it.’’ He joked, watching as Youngho chuckled and shook his head.

Taeyong turned his head to look out of the window as he saw some movement across the street, the three men with their camera’s flashing pictures of them together. Taeyong groaned, the knowledge of the fact that after Christmas someone was going to have to work on this story heavy in his stomach.

‘’This reminds me of that one Hong Kong scandal you had to debunk.’’ Youngho commented, swallowing his coffee with ease. Taeyong truly wondered whether or not the alpha’s oesophagus was made out of lead.

‘’With your cousin?’’ Taeyong chuckled at the memory. He was so incredibly nervous for that, full responsibility being handed to him because he had come up with the idea on how to debunk the events.

‘’I don’t even know how the press came up with such a ridiculous story, to be honest. They see me with someone and immediately think I shared the bed with them.’’ Taeyong felt something akin to jealousy spread in his chest, his fingers tightening around his mug as he eyed Youngho.

‘’Did you?’’

‘’Did what?’’ The older knitted his eyebrows together.

‘’Did you share the bed with anyone the press talked about?’’ A silence fell, Youngho swallowing harshly as Taeyong eyed him. He wasn’t going to get angry. The fact that he had never had sex before wasn’t going to mean Youngho shared the same experience and that was okay. But, Taeyong couldn’t help his curiosity from bleeding through his actions.

‘’No. Never.’’ Youngho spoke with such finality, such _honesty_ that Taeyong didn’t have the guts to question it. He didn’t feel the need to.

‘’Have you ever had sex?’’ Taeyong didn’t know why he felt the need to ask such questions, but he couldn’t help it. Youngho was incredibly handsome. He had experienced it first hand how omega’s and even some beta’s threw themselves at them without a second thought and he wanted to know whether or not Youngho had given in to one of them.

Youngho stirred his coffee despite the fact it didn’t have sugar in it, his eyes trained on the table before looking up at Taeyong.

‘’I have. Only twice.’’ Taeyong nodded, the jealously in his gut stirring faster and faster. ‘’It was with Sehun, before he found Junmyeon-hyung. He always had horrible heats but after getting into college they became too much, the constant presence of too many alpha’s in his lectures paralyzing for his omega. I helped him through two of them.’’

Taeyong swallowed, thinking back to the gorgeous man that was Oh Sehun. Delightfully mated and incredibly happy. The jealousy faded away at the knowledge that it took place years ago. The fact that Junmyeon was territorial helped, too.

‘’Did you knot him?’’ Knotting was something reserved to partners only, and Taeyong considered it to be pretty special and significant to the mating process. If Youngho had knotted Sehun before, he wouldn’t know what to feel.

‘’I did not knot him, no. He never wanted me to and neither did I want to do it. I reserved that for my soulmate.’’ Taeyong blushed a dark maroon at the hidden promise in Youngho’s words, shifting in his seat. He let out a breath, inhaling right after and he was calm again.

‘’I don’t even know why I asked, I’m sorry.’’ Youngho shook his head, ‘’It’s okay. You deserve to know.’’

The lady came back to take their orders and even though neither of them had taken a look at the menu’s, Youngho knew exactly what to order. Taeyong eyed him funnily, confused as to what the older just ordered.

‘’They make the best macarons here.’’

‘’I’ve never done it.’’ Taeyong confessed instead of commenting on the macarons, the need to be honest with Youngho having grown ever since the night before. Youngho bit his lip, breathing heavily through his nose.

‘’Was it your first time too, this morning?’’ Taeyong blushed again, dipping his head down and almost hitting the table in the process as he tried to hide his face. ‘’Yes.’’ He whispered in response. He could hear Youngho sigh.

‘’God—baby—you’re going to be the death of me.’’ Taeyong snickered, the feeling of adoration hitting him square in the chest as Youngho looked at him with galaxies in his eyes. To Taeyong, Youngho had grown to become his sun in such a short period of time. It was amazing how well Youngho fit together with him, how well everything was going. It was truly astonishing and Taeyong liked to believe that all his hard work had led to this.

‘’It’s my turn now.’’ Youngho clapped his hands together, raising his bag from the ground onto the table. Taeyong eyed the bag, brandless and perfectly masking everything inside. He moved his gaze over to the grinning man in front of him, radiating joy and resembling a child.

Taeyong grabbed a hold of the bag. It was heavy in his hands and he eyed Youngho, whom was innocently looking at him as if there wasn’t anything expensive in the bag.

One look casted into the bag made Taeyong whine, dropping his head in his hands as he welled the tears away. He didn’t remember exactly when but a couple weeks ago after he had shown Youngho some of his hand drawn designs he shared his request to some day be able to draw them digitally.

In the bag Taeyong found an actual Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet accompanied by the newest MacBook pro.

Taeyong felt like crying.

‘’You—you didn’t—oh my god babe.’’ Words were hard to find as he pulled the boxes out. The neatly sealed laptop stared back at him, ready to be used for whatever design Taeyong would come up with or essay he’d have to write. He eyed the drawing tabled and took in a shaky breath, the sleek black material on the box making him shiver.

‘’This—this is—too much.’’ He commented, looking up at Youngho who was holding his phone. ‘’No, it’s not. It’s not enough. Not nearly enough.’’

Taeyong really, really wanted to cry.

‘’I don’t—I don’t know what to say. What to do?’’ Youngho slid out of his seat, moving to crouch next to Taeyong’s chair with a smile on his face. ‘’What you’re going to do is when we get back home, you’re going to set this up and when you finish your first design on here, you’re going to show me. That’s all I ask.’’ Taeyong looked down at Youngho, his lip trembling and he didn’t hesitate to throw his arms around the older his shoulders.

‘’thank you, thank you so, so much.’’

‘’I told you I was going to spoil you rotten.’’ Taeyong laughed breathily, small tears finding their way down his cheeks. Youngho pulled away, thumbing the tears away with the soft caress of his fingers.

Youngho found his place back in his seat while Taeyong bagged the presents back into the bag. Their macarons came and Taeyong had to hold back a moan at the delicious taste of the sweet treats, his left hand intertwined with Youngho’s hand on the table, the alpha’s thumb never stopping the circles it was rubbing into his skin.

As Taeyong eyed the paparazzi out the window, he smiled. This is where he belonged. Right here, with this man. And if the media had anything to say about that, he was fine with it.  

 

The last two days were spent by going out to dinner to delicious fancy restaurants, Youngho spoiling Taeyong like he had promised with the most beautiful clothes and even attending a fashion show. It wasn’t from a big brand, more like someone who was just starting out, but Taeyong had cried at the idea of attending his first ever fashion show.

Youngho had warned him they’d probably be visiting loads more in the future.

When Youngho was at work, Taeyong found himself skyping his friends, doing school work or trying to figure out his new drawing tablet. On their last day Taeyong proudly emailed his first design –a small one of a pair of jeans that he had already drawn by hand before—digitally while the older was in a meeting.

Taeyong felt sadness and sorrow as they drove back to the airport, the best week of his life so far coming to an end as he watched the clerk walk away with their luggage and was guided back to the gate, never letting go of Youngho’s hand once.

They shared kisses and laughs, cuddled in bed together and relished in the presence of each other as much as they could.

Taeyong sat down in his chair, the window displaying soft snow falling to the pavement on the ground. He was going to miss Paris. He was going to miss being around Youngho all the time and he was going to miss the freedom he had. But, he was also excited to head back home.

The souvenirs he had bought for his friends were neatly packaged in his suitcase, waiting to be given to their respective owners and he had so many stories to tell and now that work was off the table, he had all the time to tell them.

Taeyong looked at Youngho who had closed his eyes and his heart skipped a beat. This man was going to make his life so much better, and Taeyong couldn’t wait to see what the universe had in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment or yell at me on twitter! Regular updates are hopefully returning soon :)
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	19. Chapter 19.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am. so sorry. for the wait. enjoy

Getting back on Korean soil was weird, but in a good way. Paris had been like their little heaven, a place they never wanted to leave, but by the time the soulmates left the airport and got into the car Mark had readied for them, they were fine. Taeyong was ready to get back to college grounds and start studying for his finals in three weeks, something he dreaded before.

He never had the time to actually study before, so Taeyong was more than thrilled and thankful that he could try and get some of his grades up. He wondered what his professors would say.

Taeyong was _excited_ for finals. If Yuta could hear him he’d whack him across the face nicely before shoving one of his chem books in Taeyong’s face with a sour expression and a loud huff.

‘’What’s your pretty head thinking about?’’ Immediately after saying it, Taeyong could see Youngho cringe at his own words. The omega giggled, leaning his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder, nuzzling his nose against his bicep. ‘’School—finals—to be specific.’’ Youngho let out a sigh, closing his eyes with a grin.

‘’God—I remember my finals weeks as clear as day.’’ Taeyong sat up, turning to look at Youngho with questioning eyes. The fabric of the car belt dug into Taeyong’s sides, but he didn’t care. Youngho was about to talk about his days in college and for some reason, the omega really liked listening to Youngho’s college years.

They were eventful but filled with passion for business. Taeyong had listened and doubled over so many times just _listening_ to how Sehun had gotten his foot stuck in between the foot of a barstool when they were drinking at Junmyeon’s apartment and the only person who was allowed to even touch him was said alpha because the omega was so incredibly embarrassed that he made Youngho leave the room.

According to Youngho, drunk Sehun was even more dramatic than sober Sehun. Taeyong really didn’t have a judgement ready because frankly he hadn’t spoken to the omega much—which he hoped would change because honestly Sehun’s fashion sense was to _die_ for and Taeyong really wanted someone to talk about the newest releases in the fashion world with—but he believed Youngho on his word.

As the alpha launched into a story about how he had mixed up the finals date during his third year, Taeyong didn’t realize they were getting closer to the campus. He fidgeted in his seat and Youngho must have noticed his sudden change of behaviour, a hand finding its way on the omega’s thigh and squeezing.

Taeyong sighed, his reaction almost immediate. The nerves didn’t leave his body completely, but a touch from Youngho always helped in these situations. ‘’What’s wrong, my love?’’ Taeyong shrugged, his hands finding each other to fidget with his fingers. The alpha noticed, replacing one of Taeyong’s hands with his own and intertwining their fingers.

‘’I told you how Yuta and Jungwoo are going to be there to pick me up, right?’’ Youngho nodded, his eyes never leaving Taeyong. The smaller boy shivered, feeling incredibly taken care of with just a simple gaze.

‘’I guess I’m just nervous. I really—really need them to like you.’’ It was quiet for a few seconds, the only noise the motor and the tunes of some random pop song from a radio station Mark had put on, and Taeyong sighed to himself.

He was almost one hundred percent sure that Yuta and Jungwoo were going to like Youngho. Especially after what the alpha had done for him, after how Yuta and the rest had literally yelled at him to go on a date with the CEO, but there was still this nagging feeling of anxiety that Taeyong couldn’t shake off.

If they didn’t like Youngho, Taeyong wouldn’t know what to do.

‘’It’s going to be just fine, babe. They’re going to like me because I make you happy. And if they’re your real friends, which I’m assuming after all the stories I’ve heard they _are,_ all they would want to see is your happiness.’’ Taeyong loved how Youngho sounded so extremely confident about the fact that he made the omega happy. Because it was true and Taeyong was glad Youngho knew that.

Taeyong nodded, moving one of the rings on Youngho’s hand around with his thumb and index finger. Ever since the gloves had come off, Youngho had started wearing jewellery again. One was from his mother that she gave to him when freshly graduated from high school Youngho stayed in Korea while his parents moved back to America. Back then, Youngho still had slightly long hair.

Taeyong hadn’t seen pictures yet, Youngho adamant on never showing him those pictures, but the omega was sure that once he was close enough to Sehun, he’d be able to drown himself in past pictures of the man he knew today. Taeyong was thrilled.

‘’We’re here, sir.’’ Taeyong looked up and out of the window at Mark’s words, spotting the track field and he gulped. In less than three minutes two of his best friends were going to meet his soulmate. The omega clutched Youngho’s hand in his as they drove past the sports facilities and some of the buildings, before halting at the main gate.

Taeyong could spot Yuta and Jungwoo standing a little further onto campus, maybe thirty meters away from the gate. It made Taeyong smile. Despite the short period they had been gone, he truly had missed his friends.

Youngho got out first, ever so gallantly closing the door after helping Taeyong out of the car and placing a kiss on his cheek. ‘’Everything will be okay.’’ They parted with a soft whisper, Youngho’s touch not quite leaving Taeyong’s system while the alpha had already pulled away.

It seemed to happen a lot, and Taeyong didn’t mind it one bit. From how heavily he reacted to the alpha when they first met to how he could keep it together like he was doing now was a major improvement. Taeyong thanked whatever that lived above for helping him out with that.

‘’Taeyongie!’’ Taeyong smiled to himself, turning around just in time to catch Jungwoo who was running toward him. His roommate wrapped his arms around Taeyong’s tiny waist and the shorter of the two sighed, hugging Jungwoo back before letting go.

Taeyong could feel Youngho standing slightly behind him again, a hand on his back signalizing that he was there. It calmed Taeyong’s nerves ever so slightly, hugging Yuta the same way as he had hugged Jungwoo.

‘’God Tae, you look so—so well rested!’’ Taeyong giggled, nodding his head toward Youngho with a smile. ‘’He took _great_ care of that. You have him to thank.’’ Yuta eyed Youngho with lidded eyes, having to look up to scan the taller alpha’s entire physique. The height difference between the two was almost comical and Taeyong almost felt bad. Even Sicheng was taller than Yuta, and that said a lot.

‘’So you must be Mr. Seo?’’ It came out perfectly civil, Yuta was being friendly, but there was a hint of protectiveness that came from being Taeyong’s best friend for over ten years. Normally the omega appreciated it, but now he just wanted his friend to knock it off.

Youngho didn’t seem at all phased, bowing his head at both Jungwoo and Yuta as a greeting. ‘’That, I am. But please, call me Youngho. Mr. Seo sounds terribly old, don’t you think? You must be Yuta and Jungwoo, it’s nice to meet you both.’’

Both Jungwoo and Yuta blinked, once, twice and a third time before they looked at Taeyong, whom wasn’t surprised anymore at how smooth Youngho was. He was a businessman, met hundreds of people every year. He couldn’t afford being awkward when it came to first conversations. Taeyong appreciated having someone like that, because quite frankly, he wasn’t that good at it himself.

‘’Yeah—it’s, it’s nice to meet you, hyung.’’ Taeyong watched a smile spread across Youngho’s face at Jungwoo’s words, the tension in his body seeping away. Ha. He had been nervous too, not just Taeyong.

‘’I’m Yuta, by the way. This is Jungwoo.’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes. He showed Youngho pictures of his friends often, so Youngho knew exactly which one was which. Yuta just wanted to look smart.

‘’Yeah I know. Taeyong has told me a lot about you and I’ve seen some pictures.’’ Both Jungwoo and Yuta raised their eyebrows at Taeyong, who cowered away behind Youngho’s back.

‘’Only good things, I hope?’’ Jungwoo retaliated, eyes still on Taeyong behind Youngho. The alpha laughed, nodding. ‘’Marvellous things, really. And,’’ Youngho turned to look at Yuta again, ‘’I think I have to thank _you_ for convincing Taeyong to come to the charity event with me.’’ Yuta’s eyes widened and Taeyong swore to everyone and everything he knew that his best friend was _blushing._

The Japanese boy stuttered, scratching his neck. ‘’I—uh—it was, it was my pleasure? No—not my pleasure. I could see Taeyong really wanted to go but he just needed a push? I guess? Besides, I wasn’t alone. Everyone helped.’’ Jungwoo nodded next to Yuta, patting the smaller alpha’s shoulder.

‘’It’s no problem, hyung. We’re just happy you’re making Taeyong happy and supporting him. I’ve never seen Taeyong this relaxed in his _life_.’’ Taeyong felt Youngho’s eyes on him as he stepped back from hiding behind him and Taeyong blushed, his friends talking as if he wasn’t even there was _kind_ of embarrassing as equally as it was sweet.

Youngho sighed, wrapping an arm around Taeyong and leaning down to place a kiss atop of his head. ‘’I’m glad I can be there for him. He had one rough day in Paris but we got through it, didn’t we?’’ Immediately, Yuta and Jungwoo’s eyes were on Taeyong.

Taeyong shook his head dismissively, hoping they’d get the hint and talk about it while he was unpacking. The omega couldn’t withhold from pinching Youngho, though, pouting at him for telling his friends something like that. All Youngho did was wink, the bastard.

‘’Anyway, I sadly have to go attend to some stuff in the office.’’ Yuta and Jungwoo nodded, bowing and saying their goodbyes before walking a bit further away to give the couple some space.

Taeyong whined. ‘’I don’t want you to leave.’’ Youngho smiled, leaning down to kiss Taeyong on the lips. The younger melted into the kiss, his shoulders going slack and arms finding their way around Youngho’s neck for as well as he could reach.

‘’I’ll be back in a couple hours to pick you up for dinner, okay?’’ Taeyong nodded. During the flight Youngho had explained that he’d be out of the country for New Years Eve. The older would be leaving the morning of, returning two days after. It was a short trip to Hong Kong to go over some issues and to have a meeting with some investors. Despite the fact that Taeyong hated having to be without his partner during New Years now that he finally had one, he had asked Youngho to say hi to Ten and Kun for him and that was that.

Dinner tonight would be the last time Taeyong would see Youngho this year. It sounded longer than it was, especially since it was only five days apart, but the omega was still going to miss him.

‘’I’ll wear the sheer top you bought me, okay?’’ Youngho whistled lowly, closing his eyes. He was probably envisioning it and Taeyong giggled, placing one last kiss on the taller boy’s lips before pulling away. ‘’See you tonight babe!’’ He called out before walking to his friends, watching Youngho get in the car and drive off.

Yuta and Jungwoo were silent at first, making Taeyong _extremely_ nervous, before Jungwoo couldn’t control his smile anymore.

‘’God hyung! He’s—He’s so. I don’t have words. I literally don’t have words.’’ Yuta seemed to agree, pulling Taeyong’s suitcase along and nodding with every word Jungwoo spoke. Taeyong visibly relaxed again, morning the loss of Youngho’s hand in his but glad that he was with his friends once more.

‘’I’m glad you guys like him.’’

‘’ _like_ him? He’s perfect, hyung.’’ Jungwoo gushed, making Taeyong smile. Now that, that was true.

‘’He’s nice, yeah.’’ Yuta commented nonchalantly, but Taeyong could tell he was happy with Youngho.

‘’What did he mean by bad day, though?’’ Yuta asked as he followed Jungwoo into the dorm a couple minutes later, Taeyong trailing behind. He sighed, hanging his coat on the designated hanger before toeing off his shoes and padding into the room.

‘’Just—the regular deal. Couldn’t get out of bed, tired and a lack of energy.’’ Taeyong answered, taking his suitcase from Yuta and dropping it onto his bed. While zipping it open he could hear Jungwoo taking a seat on the floor while Yuta opened one of their cabinets to grab a drink.

‘’How did you explain that to him?’’ Taeyong froze for a second, his mind taking him back to telling Youngho basically everything that had gone down in his life during their dinner in the Eiffel Tower.

‘’I—I, uhm, talked about my past during dinner. Youngho-hyung really wanted to know. He said that he had shared a lot about himself and that’s true, and I wanted to share some of my stuff so I did. It explained a lot for him, too.’’ Yuta handed Taeyong a bottle of water, the omega thanking him with a smile.

‘’I’m proud of you for doing that, hyung.’’ Taeyong nodded, taking a sip before turning back to his suitcase. He had a _lot_ more clothes now and he wasn’t sure whether or not his tiny closet was going to be enough anymore.

‘’Holy shit, he bought you all of that?’’ The brown haired boy blushed, nodding as he took out a stack of sweaters. Next came the jeans and some of the blouses –the sheer top neatly hidden in between said blouses—Youngho had bought for him. This wasn’t even all.

‘’He—he took some of the stuff he bought for me with him to his place.’’ As dramatic as ever, Jungwoo made himself fall back against the floor, head hitting the ground with a soft thud. ‘’Your growth. Can we finally pay for your groceries every now and again when Youngho-hyung can buy you all of this?’’ Yuta screeched, walking up to the stack of clothes and pointing at one of the baby blue sweaters.

Taeyong blushed a deep red, shrugging his shoulders. ‘’I don’t think you’ll ever have to, but no. You still can’t.’’ Yuta sighed, taking a seat on the sliver of Taeyong’s bed that was left unoccupied.

While Taeyong launched into a story about how they walked down the champs-elysees at night while it was snowing, his phone went off. Taeyong frowned as he grabbed it, two new cracks from when he had accidentally dropped it at the airport back in Paris, an anonymous number lighting up his screen.

‘’Who is it?’’ Taeyong shrugged at Jungwoo’s question before answering.

‘’Hello this is Lee Taeyong speaking, who am I talking to?’’ He could hear noise on the other line, some movement before an answer came.

‘’ _Good morning Mr. Lee! This is Sungjin speaking from Sunshine House of Children Seoul. I wanted to thank you on behalf of me and the rest of the staff for your generous donation—_ ‘’ Taeyong’s eyes widened, the name all too familiar to his ears.

‘’Wait what—donation? What donation?’’

The male on the other line fell quiet for a second, Yuta and Jungwoo now both straining their ears to listen. ‘’ _I have a donation worth two million won registered here on your name, sir. I also happen to know that you used to be a resident here! Thank you for—‘’_

‘’Wait! I didn’t—I never donated? I don’t even _have_ two million won?’’ Taeyong was terribly and confused and by the looks of his friend’s faces, they didn’t know either. What was going on?

Taeyong listened to the male—Sungjin—sigh on the other line, some papers rustling and rapid typing on a keyboard before he opened his mouth again. ‘’ _It says in my files that you made this donation at eight in the morning on Christmas Day._ ’’ Taeyong pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think and calculate where he had been at that time.

Eight in the morning on Christmas Day would have been past midnight in Paris on Christmas Eve, and Taeyong remembered being almost asleep by that poi—

Youngho.

Taeyong sighed, wiping his face with his unoccupied hand before plopping himself down on the floor, right next to where Jungwoo was seated. The younger looked at him with confusion in his eyes and Taeyong held up his hand, signalizing that he’d tell him later on.

‘’Did the person leave this phone number?’’

‘’ _Yes, sir._ ’’ Taeyong rolled his eyes. Youngho wanted him to know.

‘’Who did the person on the phone tell you he was when he answered it?’’

‘’ _That’s classified information, sir. Your name and phone number were left in one of the emails we exchanged about the donation, and so I’m calling you now to say thanks on the behalf of our current residents and the staff. We’re planning on redecorating the bedrooms and renewing the living room. Due to the monthly donations you set up, we can also finally give our children pocket money.’’_ Taeyong felt tears well up in his eyes. Monthly donations? Was Youngho _insane_?

‘’Thank—thank you for calling me. I’m—I’m glad I could do that for you?’’ Taeyong truly didn’t know what to say so he hoped this would come off as convincing. Sungjin thanked him a couple more times before they bid their goodbyes, and Taeyong dropped his phone into his lap.

‘’Oh. My. God.’’ Yuta was on the floor in an instant, carefully pulling Taeyong’s hands out of his hair and Jungwoo reached up to wipe the tears Taeyong himself hadn’t even realized they were there.

He felt his heart swell up with adoration. If what Sungjin said was right then that meant that Youngho had called the orphanage right after getting back to the hotel, when the alpha had laid Taeyong to bed and told him he had to do something for work before sleeping himself.

When Youngho had crawled into bed with Taeyong twenty minutes later, the younger hadn’t said anything. He just instantly relaxed when Youngho’s warm arms wrapped around him and that was that.

He had no idea that this was what Youngho had been working on.

Two million won. Two million _fucking_ won. Taeyong had never had that much money in his life, let alone be able to give it as a _donation_ to something so important as his own orphanage.

‘’Hyung?’’ Yuta’s voice pulled Taeyong back to earth, the omega fidgeting with his sweatpants as he turned to look at the Japanese boy. ‘’Who was that?’’ He then asked, wrapping an arm around Taeyong. The older sighed, appreciating the gesture as he closed his eyes to try and find the right words to explain all of this.

‘’Youngho—Youngho-hyung donated—he donated two million, uhm, two million won?’’ Taeyong’s voice was scarily high, a tone he didn’t even know he could reach. He listened to his best friends gasp, the hand on his shoulder falling to his arm as Yuta turned to look at him.

‘’That’s—where did he donate it to?’’

‘’The orphanage.’’ A silence fell and Taeyong couldn’t blame his friends. Even for Yuta, who was soulmates with the son of fairly rich Chinese citizens, two million won was a _lot_ of money. Taeyong turned his head to look at both Jungwoo and Yuta, who sat frozen in their seats.

‘’He, uhh, he’s doing monthly donations now? As well?’’

‘’What the fuck?’’ Jungwoo asked, his voice higher than normal. ‘’That’s.. that’s a lot of money, hyung.’’ The omega continued to comment. Taeyong let out a breathy chuckle. ‘’I know, woo.’’

‘’You sound kind of angry, hyung.’’ Was he angry? Taeyong wasn’t sure if the burning feeling in his chest came from anger or shocked adoration. He wasn’t sure what he felt as of right now, but what he was sure of was that Youngho hadn’t heard the ending of this just yet.

‘’I don’t think I am.’’

Yuta let out a faux gasp, clutching Taeyong’s shoulder with his right hand. ‘’Now _that_ is a surprise on its own!’’ Taeyong scoffed, leaning over to grab a shirt out of his suitcase and hitting the alpha with it.

‘’Hey!’’

Taeyong truly didn’t know what to think or even feel. Yuta and Jungwoo stood up, Yuta bidding his goodbye with the excuse of having to read up on some stuff for an assignment he had due right after classes started up again and a call with Sicheng, leaving Jungwoo and Taeyong alone in the room.

‘’What are you gonna do?’’ Jungwoo asked, flopping himself down on his own bed, phone in hand. Taeyong figured he was texting Yukhei what just took place. The older shrugged, ‘’I think I’m just going to ask him about it during dinner? I’m not—not angry at him? Just, really shocked and grateful, I think.’’

Jungwoo hummed in acknowledgement, ‘’He’s doing it cause he loves you. It’s amazing how close you two have become in such a short time. I’m glad you found him, hyung.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened at the words Jungwoo had said, running and jumping onto Jungwoo’s bed with wide eyes.

Jungwoo yelped, dropping his phone on the floor with a soft thud before eyeing Taeyong with his eyebrows raised.

‘’What the he—‘’

‘’He loves me?’’ Taeyong asked, his wide eyes fixated on Jungwoo’s face. Youngho loved him?

Jungwoo struggled against Taeyong’s hold on his wrists, releasing a sigh. ‘’The way he looks at you speaks for itself, hyung. Besides, didn’t you say he’s been looking for his soulmate since he was a kid?’’ Taeyong sucked in his lip, biting down on it harshly to prevent the tears from falling.

Youngho loved him. He hadn’t said it to the omega himself, but as Taeyong sat back –finally letting go of Jungwoo’s wrists and sitting back up—he realized that Youngho’s actions had spoken louder than words ever could.

Offering to pay for everything so that he’s less stressed. Taking Taeyong to Paris because he knows how much the omega loves fashion. Keeping him happy and communicating with him. Always making sure that Taeyong is okay and comfortable. Showing him pieces of himself Taeyong knew weren’t known by a lot of people. And now this. Giving the place Taeyong grew up in enough funds to prevent other cases like Taeyong’s.

Taeyong felt like screaming at the top of his lungs.

‘’He loves me.’’ His voice was a whisper, the tone wavery and his eyes shut tight.

 

The first thing Taeyong did when he saw Youngho standing outside the omega dormitory in a button up and black slacks was run toward him. Youngho, obviously surprised, managed to catch the omega in his arms, allowing Taeyong to wrap his arms around his neck and hug him tight.

‘’What’s—oof—what’s wrong?’’ Taeyong sighed into the odd embrace, having to stand on his tippy toes to keep holding onto the taller man. He understood Youngho’s question for that Taeyong had never really acted this way, but Taeyong hadn’t known a better way to translate his happiness into anything other than this.

‘’Nothing.’’ Taeyong’s answer was muffled into Youngho’s neck, his nose close to the alpha’s scent gland. It was an intimate position to be in, something reserved for lovers and mates alone, and Taeyong could feel Youngho’s posture tightening as the omega inhaled the delicious combination of hard wood and cinnamon, with a hint of freshly cut grass.

‘’Then why?’’ Youngho’s voice was shaky, goosebumps all over his body and arousal low in his gut that he tried to will away. This was definitely not the time.

‘’Because I felt like it.’’ Youngho raised his eyebrows, feeling Taeyong pull back. Taeyong’s legs were starting to get shaky from standing on his toes for so long, so instead he resorted to holding the older man’s hand and standing on his feet again. ‘’And?’’ Youngho asked, making Taeyong groan.

‘’And as a thank you.’’ Taeyong raised his eyes to make eye contact with the alpha, watching to see whether or not he’d get _why_ Taeyong was saying his thanks. After a few seconds of thinking, Youngho grinned.

‘’I guess they called you, didn’t they?’’ Taeyong nodded, playfully smacking Youngho’s stomach before placing a kiss on the fabric. He was feeling awfully affectionate today. Taeyong wasn’t sure if it was because of the revelation that maybe Youngho loved him or the fact that he was high on excitement and adoration, but he liked the way he was now and how Youngho seemed to love it just the same.

He should do this more often.

‘’They did. Jungwoo and Yuta almost had a heart attack and I froze up.’’ Youngho chuckled, latching onto Taeyong’s hand and guiding him down the path toward the main area of the campus, where Mark would probably be standing at the gate with one of Youngho’s cars.

‘’What do you think?’’ Youngho then asked, anxiety falling in sync with his words before he could stop it. Taeyong noticed, squeezing his hand to try and give the alpha comfort.

‘’I—I was surprised. But, I’m also really, really grateful for the fact that you did it.’’ Youngho squeezed Taeyong’s hands in return, turning to his side to look at Taeyong’s side profile. ‘’But, there’s also this feeling that I shouldn’t be happy about it, you know? I’m not sure.’’

Youngho stopped walking, halting Taeyong as well, before wrapping his arms around the smaller boy his waist, placing a rushed kiss on his lips. Just by that, Taeyong knew that Youngho understood his internal dilemma.

Taeyong was happy Youngho did it, of course he was. He felt as if though he was on cloud nine. However, there was this tiny portion of him, a small part of his brain, yelling at him that it wasn’t good, that it was too much and that he didn’t deserve any of this.

‘’What’s going on in your brain right now, Yongie?’’ Taeyong leant his head against Youngho’s chest, his hands tightening in the alpha’s button up. He let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes and trying to remember Youngho’s face when he was open, when he was honest, and so he bit his lip before letting it go again, opening his mouth.

‘’I don’t deserve it.’’ Taeyong hoped Youngho wouldn’t ask, wouldn’t say anything and they would be able to continue on walking to a waiting Mark, go to the restaurant and have fun. But, that wasn’t the case. Youngho pulled away immediately, holding Taeyong at an arm length so he could look into the omega’s eyes.

Taeyong felt tiny in a good way.

‘’You do deserve this, okay? You—fuck Yongie—you of all people deserve this.’’ Taeyong tried to shake his head, tried to protest, but Youngho placed his hands on both of Taeyong’s cheeks and leant in close to press his forehead to the smaller male’s head.

To outsiders, they probably looked insane. Some might even want to stop and ask if Taeyong was okay because of the fact that it looked as if though he was unwillingly being cornered by an alpha, but fortunately, not many were on campus. Especially not at seven pm when the college kitchens served dinner.

Taeyong was grateful that no one was around to witness this other than the two of them.

‘’You deserve to live a comfortable life. You deserve to be treated like the absolute prince you are. You deserve so many things and it _hurts_ my heart that you can’t see that. But, that’s okay. I’m going to keep on telling you till you do see it, and then I’ll continue to remind you. You’ve fought and have fallen for so long, you deserve to be caught and helped.’’ Taeyong allowed a tear to slip, his throat closing up as a strained whine left his mouth.

Youngho smiled sadly, his thumbs caressing Taeyong’s cheeks and wiping away the tears that continued to escape.

‘’Thank you.’’ Taeyong whispered, tears falling into his mouth and nose stuffed. He hated being like this, especially in front of his boyfriend, but Youngho didn’t mind. He just kept smiling, placing soft kisses all over the omega’s face till the tears stopped and Taeyong was calm again.

‘’My pleasure, my love. My pleasure.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed! comments and stuff are always appreciated bcs i luv luv luv u all ok. thanks. 
> 
>  
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo) [hey it's my cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)


	20. Chapter 20.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy huhu
> 
> there's some sexual content at the end, just a warning owo

After break ended, leaving New Years and Christmas behind in a blur of memories and Paris cherished in Taeyong’s heart, life picked up again like before.

The omega found himself in class on the days he wasn’t in the office, paying attention and handing in finished homework for once. He found himself less nervous for his finals for which he had to take two extra days off of his internship like the rest of the third years, and was greeted back on the work floor after the weekend with a cupcake and a card from Amber and Jongin, wishing him a congratulations for surviving said finals week.

Taeyong had spent more time with his friends, had participated more and had proudly shown off everything Youngho had bought him on their trip. His first design on his new tablet was halfway done, and some more sketches were strewn around Jungwoo and his dorm like it was nothing.

Now that Taeyong was less stressed, his need to have everything clean and organized had become—to Jungwoo’s great delight—less worrisome.

After Taeyong got back to the office on Monday after New Years, Jongin had interrogated him about everything that had gone down. The alpha had to work the 27th and 28th, so he was one of the few editors and writers on the work floor who had seen all the articles and heard all the stories from when Taeyong and Youngho were in Paris together.

Taeyong told the same stories he had told his friends, leaving out the bad day and the whole Eiffel Tower date fiasco where he basically spilled his life story to Youngho, and presented Jongin with a small t-shirt saying ‘I <3 Paris’ for Jisung to wear.

The alpha sent a picture to his mate, Kyungsoo, immediately and said he loved it. Taeyong couldn’t stop smiling when Amber made her way over and he could give her the coffee mug he had bought her. She too, loved her gift, and Taeyong felt right back at home at his desk with twenty new emails to go over.

It was as if life had never stopped when they were in Paris. Of course, Taeyong knew this to be true. But, to him it had felt like Paris was its own time. Like Korea was on pause for a few days and Taeyong would return as if nothing ever happened.

However, he had come back to the hustle and bustle of the city, finishing school assignments and refiguring out his sleeping rhythm—his body not quite agreeing with the fact that despite the fact that it had only been a couple days, it had to fall asleep without Youngho’s arms wrapped around his waist—and was getting used to everything once more.

Apart from the plenty of office visits Taeyong had done over the past two weeks, he hadn’t seen Youngho much. They had met up twice a week at least, but Youngho had been so busy with everything and anything, Taeyong had decided to take a step back and let Youngho get everything back on track after the holidays, before everything would settle down again.

Taeyong missed waking up next to his boyfriend.

‘’You know, Taeyong-ah,’’ Jongin’s voice brought Taeyong back to where he was sat at his desk, his eyes refocusing on the alpha in front of him with a smile on his face. He nodded to show the alpha that he had heard him, and Jongin grinned.

‘’You only have two months left here.’’ Taeyong frowned, looking back at his computer to look at what date it was.  It was the twelfth of January, a Monday afternoon as his digital clock changed from precisely two pm to one past two, and he gasped. His six months was rapidly coming to an end.

‘’that’s—I hadn’t even thought about that.’’ Taeyong confessed, dropping his head into his hands with a grumble. He could hear Jongin let out a soft chuckle, making the omega roll his eyes into the palms of his hands.

‘’Clearly.’’ Taeyong groaned, louder this time, reaching for the first thing he could find and ending up throwing a pad of flashcards Jongin’s way. The alpha let out a laugh and despite himself, Taeyong couldn’t help but giggle, too.

In a weird way, Taeyong had grown to become fond of Jongin. He seemed like a good mate and a wonderful father, and despite the fact that Taeyong had gotten over the fact that he never had that and never will have it, he felt envious of Jisung, their small pup, as he listened about Jongin talking about him and how he shone so brightly talking about his pup’s achievements.

It made his heart pull, but not painfully. Taeyong couldn’t wait to have that. To see Youngho shine brightly as he talks about their pups, to have his own little family and give his own pups the world and more.

He couldn’t wait. But he had to.

‘’I’m gonna miss it here.’’ Taeyong commented, turning his head to look around the big hall of desks and working people. In just over two months, he wouldn’t be coming here anymore.

‘’Well,’’ Jongin leant back in his chair, his hands finally leaving his desk to rest on his lap. ‘’If you apply here after college I’m making sure amber doesn’t hire you.’’ Taeyong squawked at that, his eyes wide.

‘’What?’’

‘’No! Not like that!’’ Jongin scrambled to sit back right, leaning in slightly. ‘’I know you want to do fashion you idiot! I wouldn’t hire you because you’re supposed to create stuff, design clothes with your hands. You’re not supposed to sit behind this desk for the rest of your life. That’s my job.’’ Taeyong bit his lip, willing away the scream that he wanted to let out ever since Jongin opened his mouth.

‘’You really think I should be doing fashion?’’

Jongin nodded, ‘’Mr. Seo—Youngho whatever—has talked about your designs and your dream to pursue fashion to some people. If what I heard from Amber that she heard from Mr. Seo is correct, you’re destined to make it big in the fashion industry. Soon enough people will be wearing your clothes on the biggest runways across the world’’ Taeyong’s mouth fell open, his eyes strangely watery and cheeks flushed a deep red.

‘’Yo—Youngho-hyung, he talks about me?’’ it’s a strange question, Taeyong supposed, as he watched Jongin’s face morph into a look of sadness and fondness at the same time. It was odd.

‘’Of course he does, silly. You guys are the talk of the company.’’ Taeyong felt his heart swell at that, dropping his head onto his hands once more. He wasn’t embarrassed, which he probably should be, but more so felt a surge of pride, of worth course through his veins. _Youngho talked about him._

‘’Is it—is it weird that I’m happy about that?’’ Jongin let out a real giggle this time, flashing Taeyong a bright smile before shaking his head. ‘’That’s not weird at all, Taeyong-ah. You should be proud.’’

Proud Taeyong was. The knowledge that his boyfriend talked about him to other people boosted his confidence to a whole other level, a smile spreading across his face.

‘’God you guys are too sickening. I’m gonna barf.’’

 

Taeyong walked down the sidewalk, headphones in his ears and his coat tightly around him as cold wind whipped across his face. It was a short walk from the subway station to Youngho’s house, but Taeyong was grateful when the alpha’s apartment building came into view. He started walking a little faster, desperate to get out of the cold air. He sighed in relief when Taeyong walked into the lobby, the warmth enveloping him whole.

Taeyong shyly waved at the man behind the desk, receiving a nod in return, before walking toward the elevator.

Finally, as the omega entered Youngho’s house, Taeyong relaxed. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend for a couple days, except for one sneaky visit in the office, and to say Taeyong had missed him and his scent was an understatement.

After grabbing himself some coffee and settling onto the couch with some of his schoolbooks and his new laptop, Taeyong drowned himself in his studies and listened to some piano tunes, not wanting to get distracted by anyone or anything till he was done.

Ten minutes passed and Taeyong was still staring at the same page, reading the words over and over but not registering anything. The omega wasn’t even sure which subject he was trying to study for this time around. The only thing that played in his mind over and over again was the way Youngho had pushed Taeyong against the couch in their hotel room in Paris, had shown Taeyong the stars and made him feel as if he were buzzing with the pleasure coursing through his veins.

Youngho hadn’t done anything with him on a sexual ground ever since then, and Taeyong somehow missed it. Growing up without any sort of boyfriends or girlfriends let Taeyong to only having used his hand before and suffering through his heats till they broke by themselves. He had never had someone to help him, to pleasure him, by his side before. It was a strange development, too.

Ever since that day, Taeyong wanted to do more, explore more. He wanted to pleasure Youngho too, wanted to make the alpha feel as good as he had made Taeyong feel. They were waiting with sex till Taeyong’s next heat, the omega assumed, because Youngho had not tried to make a move on him for that, either.

It was weird how much it disappointed the omega.

Taeyong bit his lip and groaned, a faint brush making its way onto his face knowingly. He closed his book –Statistics, apparently—and turned to his laptop fully. Taeyong’s fingers hovered over the keys, knowing exactly what he wanted to search for but not having the guts to type it just yet.

He casted a look toward the clock hanging on the wall beside the door and visibly relaxed. Youngho wouldn’t be home for an hour or so. Taeyong had time to do some well awaited research.

Taeyong bit his lip harder, rapidly typing in the word ‘knotting’ before he could change his mind. Which, was probably not the smartest thing to do. Taeyong knew what knotting was, had heard stories about it from his friends and while his other classmates didn’t really listen during class, Taeyong had paid attention during biology in high school. He knew what it was, but there was this simmering curiosity low in his gut now that he had an alpha who could actually knot him.

The first few articles just kept repeating the fact that knotting would help break an omega’s heat. Which, in Taeyong’s opinion, was the best invention known to man. A few other articles warned the boy about the pain, about the difference between knotting for a female omega and a male omega, and rambled on and on about how you should always use protection.

Taeyong rolled his eyes. He already knew all of this. What he wanted to know is how it felt, and truthfully, how to get to that point. Taeyong had no idea how to be flirty. In Paris he had taken a gamble with some of the words he had said and apparently had done a good job, since Youngho didn’t say much about it and only kept going. but Taeyong wanted to know more.

He wanted to be sexy. Not just for his alpha, but also for himself. After years of barely getting by and not having the _energy_ to try things out, Taeyong could finally afford it. Besides, with Youngho’s constant need to treat Taeyong with new clothes and accessories, Taeyong finally had the means to look good, too.

Not that he never looked good in his hand me downs or borrowed clothes. No. Taeyong always made the best out of those clothes, but he always felt he could do more.

Taeyong groaned, closing his laptop as well before putting it down on the couch. Maybe he should just ask someone. One of his friends. They’ve had multiple conversations like this before. Even Doyoung, who, as a beta, didn’t really need a knot, had talked about how good it felt.

Taeyong reached for his phone, finding Jungwoo’s contact before checking the time. The boy was probably coughing up a long, having caught a cold during the holiday’s at home and therefore was left to his own devices in their dorm. Taeyong had offered to come straight home after getting out of the office, but the younger omega had threatened to cut Taeyong’s balls off if he didn’t visit his boyfriend.

That didn’t mean that Taeyong couldn’t call the boy. Right?

‘’ _Why are you calling me, hyung_?’’ Jungwoo’s voice was groggy and his nose sounded  incredibly stuffed and honestly, the young omega sounded like a mess. He probably felt that way, too. Despite that, Taeyong rolled his eyes at the opening sentence.

‘’Can I not call you?’’

‘’ _I swear to god if Youngho-hyung is right there with you and you’re calling me I will—‘’_

‘’Cut my balls off, I know. And no, he isn’t home yet. He’ll be back in an hour.’’ Taeyong honestly had no idea why he didn’t just ask Jungwoo this in person after getting home tomorrow afternoon –he was staying the night here, big surprise—but here he was, calling instead. It somehow made it easier.

Jungwoo groaned on the other side of the line, ‘’ _fine, hyung. Your balls are safe. Anyway, why the call?_ ’’

Taeyong bit his bottom lip again before realizing, relaxing his jaw. ‘’How did you---how did—ah—how did—‘’

‘’ _How did I what, hyung?_ ’’ Taeyong knew Jungwoo was laughing at him on the other line, was probably trying really hard not to mock his hyung for this, and so Taeyong carried on.

‘’How did you get Yukhei to knot you?’’ a silence fell, anxiety rising in Taeyong’s chest with every second that passed without a reply from Jungwoo.

Eventually, a cough came. ‘’ _You want Youngho-hyung to knot you?_ ’’ Taeyong took solace in the fact that Jungwoo didn’t sound judgemental. He never thought his best friend would, but he was worried nonetheless.

‘’Eventually, yeah? That’s, that’s normal, right?’’

Jungwoo chuckled, ‘’ _Of course hyung. Of course it’s normal. And to answer your question, I asked him to during the first heat he experienced with me. it kind of came natural.’’_ Taeyong closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. His heat wouldn’t hit till the last week of February—if everything went the way it’s supposed to—and he figured he needed that time to prepare for something like that.

‘’Do you think it’s too fast for us, Woo?’’ Taeyong’s voice was soft, his free hand finding the seam of his sweater and fidgeting it between the fabric between his fingers. Jungwoo sighed and rustled around, Taeyong supposed he was getting comfortable, eventually clicking his tongue.

‘’No, hyung, I don’t. You’re twenty-three, you’re a consenting adult and if Youngho-hyung wants the same, you shouldn’t worry about what others think. If you’re comfortable and he is, you two are fine. Besides, you’ve been looking for each other for so long. Well—Youngho-hyung has.’’

‘’Thank you, Woo.’’ The anxiety that had build up in the omega’s chest had simmered down to a small flame, easily extinguishable with the assurance of Youngho. Who, by the way, was coming home soon.

Jungwoo snorted, ‘ _’Knotting isn’t that big of a deal, hyung. Sure, it’s intimate and something you should most definitely don’t do with a complete stranger, it’s not that special_.’’ Taeyong worried his lip, Youngho’s words ringing in his head. The alpha was sort of traditional when it came to certain things, and Youngho seemed to have thoughts about this issue as well.

Taeyong will have to ask the older eventually.

‘’I mean, Youngho-hyung is kind of traditional. I don’t remember if I told you, but he is.’’

‘’ _You didn’t have to tell me. With the way he’s always touching you, making you smell like him –he’s lowkey scenting you, hyung—buying you clothes and everything like that, he’s totally courting you. Despite the fact you’re already dating! You’ve really gotten yourself a strange one, Tae._ ’’

Taeyong ignored the lack of honorifics in favour of humming –and blushing heavily, but Jungwoo didn’t need to know that—. Taeyong figured Youngho had been courting him on the downlow. The scenting was part of it, making sure that the world knew that Taeyong was completely off the market and taken.

Taeyong cringed at the word market. He was never on the market to begin with.

‘’I know, I know. He’s odd, but he’s odd for me and that’s what matters,’’ Taeyong chuckled at Jungwoo’s fake gagging in the background, ‘’Anyway, thanks a lot, Woo.’’

‘’ _It’s alright, hyung. You remember how Sicheng let Yuta-hyung knot him the first time they ever had sex, right? He wasn’t even in heat. Everyone takes it at their own pace, and you should, too._ ’’ Taeyong smiled to himself, nodding his head despite the fact that Jungwoo couldn’t see him.

He remembered that morning like it was yesterday. Sicheng could not walk straight, wincing with every move. The Chinese boy wasn’t that close to everyone yet, but after Jungwoo, Doyoung and –Taeyong wasn’t embarrassed to admit it. He was curious, okay—he himself had egged Sicheng on, he finally spilled the beans.

At first, Taeyong thought it was too fast. The duo hadn’t been dating for longer than a month, but after a few seconds of thinking just that, Taeyong realized that they had been waiting their entire lives for this. That calmed the omega down remotely at that time.

Just as it was doing at this time.

‘’Oh god—remember that morning? Yuta was so proud. I can’t believe Sicheng managed to inflate Yuta’s ego even more.’’ Jungwoo chuckled, clearly thinking back to that day as well. Yuta had been absolutely unbearable all day, all cocky smiles and knowing looks. No one was allowed to touch Sicheng that day, only him.

‘’ _god yes I do. That was horrible._ ’’ A pause fell as Jungwoo moved around again, a sigh leaving his lips before he sneezed. ‘’ _I have to go now, hyung. Yukhei will be here in a couple minutes._ ’’

Taeyong nodded, ‘’Thank you, Woo. I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope you feel better soon.’’

‘’ _see you tomorrow, hyung. You’ll be fine._ ’’

Taeyong let his phone drop onto the couch as he sighed, dropping his head back to rest on the couch. Jungwoo was all sorts of right, and the older omega was awfully aware that truthfully, he was making a bigger deal out of this than he probably should, but still.

This was Youngho. Taeyong wanted everything to be perfect. It would be his first time ever having sex, with Youngho already having experience. The knowledge that at least one of them knew what they were doing was oddly calming.

Not that Taeyong had no idea how it worked. Hell, he was a young adult as well, of course he had had his fantasies, had had his thoughts and, despite shy to admit it, had watched his fair share of porn, but this was the real deal.

‘’Why the hell am I making such a big fucking deal out of this?’’ Taeyong whispered to himself in the quiet of Youngho’s apartment. Wiping his face with his hand, he stood up and walked through the hallway and into the kitchen.

Just like everything in Youngho’s apartment, the kitchen looked expensive. The countertops were made out of a dark brown wood, beautiful grey countertops and, not that Taeyong knew anything about appliances, the omega guessed those weren’t very outdated either.

He grabbed himself some water, chugging it down and taking a deep breath to get rid of his thoughts. This wasn’t a big deal. Everything was going to be fine.

 

Youngho came home a couple minutes after that, the two of them cooking dinner together and telling each other about their days before eating said dinner. After that, they moved over to cuddle on the couch after Youngho changed out of his suit, a movie playing in the background as Taeyong was laid with his back against his boyfriend’s chest.

Youngho’s face was tucked in the juncture of Taeyong’s neck, his nose close to the omega’s scent gland and for the past few minutes, the omega had tried to keep his arousal to a minimum as, completely unconsciously, Youngho’s hands caressed the skin of Taeyong’s chest.

His hands weren’t cold anymore, instead warming Taeyong’s chest like a fire, setting his senses alight as the older accidentally touched one of his nipples. Taeyong couldn’t keep the gasp leaving his mouth quiet, slight pleasure shooting through him. The male pressed against his back made a noise of interest, his hand scooting back to Taeyong’s nipple before caressing the skin around it.

Taeyong whined high in his throat, throwing his head further to the side, almost presenting his neck like he would during a mating process. Youngho took the chance, his teeth and tongue working several bruises into Taeyong’s pale skin across the expanse of his shoulder and collar bones.

‘’Hyung,’’ Taeyong whimpered out, his eyes still closed in pleasure but all too aware of the way the alpha’s hands were venturing lower and lower, ghosting over his erection. The omega could _feel_ the grin on Youngho’s face against his neck as the older let his hand slowly palm Taeyong through his pants.

‘’Youngho!’’ Youngho hummed at Taeyong’s sudden exclamation, one hand bringing Taeyong’s hips back down from the way the younger had arched his back off of the couch.

‘’Mm, love?’’ Taeyong didn’t posses the power to respond. Instead, he bent his arm in a definitely unhealthy way, trying to reach for Youngho’s arousal. The alpha let him, a low growl leaving his lips as Taeyong managed to grind his hand against it through his sweats.

The omega’s eyes widened at the sound, a whimper leaving his lips. Youngho’s hand sped up, leaving the younger trembling with pleasure pooling in his gut, toes curling and chest heaving, his arm pulling back to find purchase on the couch.

‘’You look—so, so beautiful like this, my love. You’re so desperate and I’m not even directly touching you.’’ Taeyong moaned loudly at the words, his vision going white with a couple more touches, the combination of Youngho biting down on his shoulder –avoiding his scent gland, like they had discussed—and the way the alpha kept touching him, one hand playing with his nipple and his other digging into his dick getting too much.

Taeyong howled, arching his back off of the couch. His hips stuttered, his sweats now soaking themselves with his cum. Taeyong tried to catch his breath, chest heaving and toes aching from being curled for so long.

With a kiss to his cheek, Taeyong came back to his senses.

‘’Fuck, babe.’’ Youngho chuckled, his nose against the back of Taeyong’s head, the older his hands now firmly holding the omega’s waist. They stayed like that for a moment, both of them trying to catch their breath. The pheromones in the room were horribly palpable, Youngho’s scent enveloping Taeyong like it was his own. Taeyong was sure he could get high on it if he tried hard enough.

However, the younger was reminded of his boyfriend’s erection when Youngho shifted to get a little more comfortable, his cock digging into Taeyong’s back.

Sluggishly, Taeyong turned around.

‘’Baby, what are—‘’

‘’Hush.’’ Taeyong leaned in to silence him with a kiss, their tongues finding each other almost immediately. It formed a great distraction, because when Taeyong touched Youngho’s dick through the fabric of his clothes once more, the alpha groaned low in his throat, a gasp leaving his mouth that Taeyong swallowed eagerly.

His movements were sloppy, mirroring their kiss, but it felt okay. It felt right and Taeyong was so incredibly happy that he was making Youngho feel as good as he was. Experimentally, Taeyong bit down on the alpha’s bottom lip, making Youngho moan.

‘’Close.’’ Youngho huffed out, his arms winding around Taeyong’s waist to push the omega even closer. Taeyong gasped at the sudden movement, his hand almost slipping off before finding its place again.

‘’Please, please.’’ Taeyong begged. He wasn’t even the one who was close to coming, his cock twitching with interest every time Youngho moaned, but he wanted the older to come so badly. He wanted to make him feel good.

‘’Fuck, baby.’’ The last part of Youngho’s sentence was more of a moan than actual words before he closed his eyes again, clenching his jaw before it went slack and the duo were breathing into each other’s mouths as Youngho soaked his boxers and sweats with his seed.

Taeyong slumped against Youngho’s chest, exhausted and sated. The omega’s nose found Youngho’s scent gland, inhaling harshly as he tiredly closed his eyes. ‘’that—that was so, so good, my love.’’

Taeyong had an ounce of energy left to pull away. He eyed Youngho and grinned, leaning in to peck him on the lips. ‘’It really was.’’ Taeyong sighed, a satisfied smile now permanently on his face. Youngho’s hands traced circles into his hips and despite the fact that his underwear was now sticking to his body and it was getting kind of comfortable, everything was alright again as he looked Youngho in the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	21. Chapter 21.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fancy parties

After spending Valentine’s Day in the comfort of Youngho’s apartment and the day after at Jaehyun’s birthday party for friends and entourage—Youngho couldn’t come because of a meeting with Japanese investors—Taeyong found himself talking to Yuta while standing on a marble floor, bright lights all around while people in suits and waiters with champagne and fancy shrimp walked past.

‘’It’s nice of him to invite us.’’ Taeyong nodded, a smile on his face. Jungwoo and Yukhei were seated in a corner at a round table, chatting with two quite young-looking girls compared to the usual crowd at these parties. A lot of younger millionaires were attending, from film makers to models and so on, and his friends, for some reason, fit right in.

Jaehyun was standing among a group of people, arm intertwined with Doyoung, who listened and nodded along as far as Taeyong could see. Sicheng had gone to the bathroom a few moments ago and that’s when Yuta came to find Taeyong, the omega standing with Sehun and Junmyeon while Youngho talked to business men Taeyong had never seen before.

Turned out, Sehun was indeed more dramatic when there were traces of alcohol in his blood. Junmyeon seemed unbothered despite the three glasses of champagne and one whisky on the rocks, but Taeyong liked the way the older alpha seemed to take care of Sehun. It was adorable to witness. Despite the obvious height difference—which, Youngho informed, Junmyeon does not like to be reminded of—Sehun found a way to make himself look smaller next to his mate. Something Taeyong learned the older omega enjoyed quite a lot.

‘’He’s wanted to intertwine his and mine world for a while. This is his way of doing it.’’ Taeyong took a sip of his water, having already had one glass of champagne, and Yuta smiled.

Taeyong had broken the news to his friends a couple days before Jaehyun’s birthday in the cafeteria during lunch, resulting in a plethora of yelps and confused faces. Yuta and Jungwoo had already met Taeyong’s boyfriend, sure, but the others were in the dark.

‘’He wants us to come?’’ Doyoung had asked, his bottom lip already in between his teeth resulting in Jaehyun pinching him in the arm. With a soft yelp, Doyoung let go. After Taeyong had explained that Youngho really wanted to meet everyone and introduce them to what was going to be Taeyong’s world for the rest of his life, his friends had agreed.

‘’You’ve got yourself a good one, hyung.’’ Sicheng commented as he took his place next to Yuta once more, the alpha of the trio not hesitating to wrap his arm around the taller boy’s waist. Taeyong smiled, nodding his head as his eyes searched for Youngho.

He was across the room, a glass of what Taeyong assumed to be sweet white wine –a guilty pleasure of Youngho—and he nodded again, his smile growing as the alpha made eye contact with him and winked. Taeyong flushed, shaking his head before turning back to his best friends.

‘’Oh please—go to him. Your scent is getting stronger by the _second_.’’ Yuta complained, all in good fun, and Taeyong stuck his tongue out before making his way across the lobby.

SeoKim’s annual business party was something Taeyong didn’t know about till three weeks before, when Youngho mentioned it over dinner, chopstick halfway to his mouth as if Taeyong wasn’t an intern at the company and should’ve probably checked the email he had gotten about this but hadn’t been able to because Jongin was laughing at a video Kyungsoo had sent him and the omega had forgotten.

Now, he strutted toward Youngho wearing a beautifully fitted Bordeaux suit, something the alpha had arranged before Taeyong had a say in the matter –not that Taeyong wanted to. In situations like this, the omega had given in and just accepted that Youngho was going to take care of everything with or without his say in the matter—and he felt amazing.

Apart from almost every employee attending or having left already, several other parties of people had been invited. ‘’It’s our business party, but also a great way to connect with everyone and built relationships.’’ Had been Sehun’s answer when Sicheng asked at the beginning of the night, and Junmyeon had nodded along.

‘’There are people from all sorts of fields here. It’s a great way—like Sehunnie here said—to connect with others and build business relationships. However, it’s also a way of our employees to relax and to show our appreciation for them by organizing such an event.’’ Taeyong didn’t completely understand the reasoning of mixing the company employees with famous people and important businessmen, but he could see Junmyeon’s point in the matter. It was a great way to mix everyone together. Besides, Taeyong could see Yukhei—now at a different table—talking animatedly with Jackson Wang, fellow Chinese citizen and famous soccer player –apparently, Taeyong wasn’t informed about sports all that well—and seeing his friends meeting their idols was more than enough for Taeyong.

Taeyong passed by where Jongin and Kyungsoo were seated, bowing and smiling at the two before walking further. Taeyong had met Kyungsoo at the beginning of the party, the omega all too excited to finally meet Jongin’s mate. Kyungsoo seemed a little timid around big crowds like this, so he wasn’t as talkative as Jongin always described him to be. Taeyong couldn’t  really blame him.

‘’Hey beautiful.’’ Taeyong blushed when Youngho wrapped an arm around his waist, his scent enveloping him once more and replacing the slight hint of Yuta’s. ‘’Hello handsome. How’s your evening?’’ Youngho smiled, placing a kiss against Taeyong’s hair.

‘’My evening is amazing. You look ravishing in pink, my love.’’ Taeyong bit his lip, a deep red probably covering his cheeks at the mention of his freshly dyed hair.

Ever since their talk in Paris, Youngho had shown Taeyong pictures upon pictures of people with pink, red and some even white hair, and had offered to take Taeyong to one of the best salons in the city to get it done. At first, Taeyong was a little apprehensive. He’d get stares, of course, people judging him, and that was something the omega didn’t want. But, after Jungwoo had yelled at him to ‘get over yourself and just fucking do it!’ Taeyong had taken it upon himself to accept Youngho’s over and go to the salon yesterday after class.

Sicheng had joined him, his hair now a soft lilac, and Taeyong still felt shock run through his veins every time he passed a reflective object.

‘’Thank you.’’

‘’And you! You must be Taeyong!’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened as he heard a voice call out for him, turning his head the slightest. If possible, his eyes would’ve grown wider, his jaw falling open as he watched Kim Jongdae, _the Kim Jongdae_ , walk toward him, a very familiar sketch book clutched in his arms.

Taeyong felt like he could fall through the floor. This was Kim Jongdae, the designer he had been following ever since he was fifteen, the man he looked up to as one of the most well known and best designers in South Korea and the entirety of Asia.

The omega glanced at Youngho for help, but was met with a grin and a slight push against the small of his back, making him stumble forward.

‘’Woah there!’’ Jongdae placed a hand on Taeyong’s shoulder to keep him steady, a friendly smile aimed at Taeyong making the younger man blush like a mad man.

‘’Thank you.’’ Jongdae waved him off, grabbing a hold of Taeyong’s wrist. ‘’We—Lee Taeyong—We need to talk. Somewhere quiet.’’ Taeyong gulped, looking up at Youngho for help only to realize that the alpha had fled, nowhere to be seen.

‘’I—Okay?’’ Jongdae was quick to smile, pulling Taeyong away by his wrist. They walked through the room with fast steps, the fashion designer not caring if he walked into anyone and easily dodging some of the waiters before they arrived at their –apparent—destination.

‘’Okay, so.’’ Jongdae dropped down into a chair, petting the one next to it for Taeyong to sit down on. ‘’Taeyong-ssi –can I call you that? Yes? Awesome! —okay anyway! You, my friend, have talent!’’ Taeyong was overwhelmed by the sheer speed the man in front of him spoke with, his hands moving and waving all the while keeping fierce eye contact with a very startled Taeyong.

Jongdae had a lot of energy. He also just said Taeyong had talent.

‘’Excu,, excuse me?’’ Taeyong gasped out, interrupting Jongdae’s ramble. The fashion designer frowned.

‘’Did I say something wrong, dear?’’ The omega’s eyes widened, shaking his head feverishly.

‘’No! No-no! definitely not! I’m just—you think I have talent? Also, what are you doing with my notebook?’’ Taeyong’s eyes zeroed in on the worn book Jongdae was holding, recognizing the baby pink cover with ease.

Jongdae waved him off, chuckling. ‘’Don’t be silly! Your designs are amazing! Especially that beautiful bracelet you designed.’’ Taeyong blushed slightly at the mention of his Fire Agate design, the bracelet still an accessory he wanted to someday wear on his own.

‘’Thank you.’’ Taeyong still couldn’t quite believe that he was sitting in front of Kim Jongdae, of all people, the man who designed that beautiful blouse the omega had worn to his and Youngho’s first official date, the man he had looked up for years in fashion magazines and interviews. And here he was, seated right in front of him with _his_ notebook in hand, the biggest smile on his face.

‘’It’s my pleasure! I am so glad Youngho-ssi decided to give this to me before the event! You have some real talent! That beautiful baby blue dress you designed? The one made out of silk and that gorgeous neckline? Even I want to wear that!’’ Taeyong bit his lip to keep himself from screaming, his eyes trying to find Youngho in the crowd once more. That man was in for something, that’s for sure.

The reason why Youngho could’ve even gotten to Taeyong’s notebook was because the omega brought it with him to his apartment. He was planning on staying the night and wanted to sketch some stuff in the morning. Youngho must have sneakily taken it with him to the venue.

‘’I love that dress a lot.’’ It was a dress Taeyong had gotten into his head when he was sixteen. It was similar to a dress a pair of adoptive parents brought with them when they came to get a little girl from the orphanage, ready to adopt her and take her with them. Taeyong had sat on the stairs, watching them leave as the girl held onto the dress tightly.

‘’What do you say you come by the studio sometime? Maybe in two weeks?’’ Taeyong choked on his saliva, resulting in Jongdae hitting him on the back as the omega coughed his lungs out. This couldn’t be real. Taeyong would pinch himself and wake up next to Youngho instead of being seated in this chair.

‘’You—You’re serious?’’ Jongdae nodded, a smile spreading on his face. He seemed to do that a lot.

‘’Of course! I know talent when I see it, and you have potential. It’s sad you can’t come next week,’’ Jongdae’s voice dropped into a whisper, ‘’my heat hits next week.’’ Taeyong’s eyes widened again, suppressing a loud gasp of surprise. His heat would hit sometime next week, too. He pretended the nervousness in his stomach was for something else.

‘’I can’t even smell you?’’ Jongdae giggled, rolling his eyes. ‘’Oh, young one—I believe you know there’s such a thing as dampers in this room—you can still smell something, but not everything! —and I’m wearing spray to keep my pheromones away from everybody else. My mate likes it that way.’’ Jongdae winked, which in return made Taeyong blush.

The fellow omega was the definition of extraverted, having no problem sharing information Taeyong would have trouble telling a complete stranger. Taeyong admired him for it.

‘’Is your mate here?’’ Jongdae nodded, his fingers pointing at a smaller man standing with a couple others and a few females dressed in dresses and suits. Taeyong knew who he was—Kim Minseok, simple alpha who only got famous because of Jongdae’s brand, who preferred to stay on the downlow—Taeyong truly read too many interviews. Kim Minseok stood with confidence though, and just like Youngho, had a presence that demanded respect as soon as he walked into the room.

‘’My hormones make me want to jump him so bad right now. He looks so goddamn good in that suit! It’s unfair!’’ Taeyong blushed a deep red at the omega’s words, a shy giggle leaving his lips. He couldn’t say he hadn’t thought the same thing when Youngho walked out of the bedroom earlier that night, tightening the buttons on his suit sleeves while smiling at Taeyong. He’d be lying.

‘’Why don’t you just go home then?’’

‘’You can call me hyung, it’s okay.’’ Jongdae clearly sensed the hesitance in Taeyong’s voice. The omega smiled gratefully, nodding his head.

‘’Why don’t you just go home then, hyung?’’ It felt weird to talk so comfortably to someone he had looked up for literal years, but Taeyong felt as if it was right. Jongdae was just the type of person you wanted to talk to, wanted to get to know.

Jongdae chuckled, shaking his head. ‘’We might actually do that in like twenty minutes. Minseok seems just as eager.’’ Taeyong turned his head to look at the alpha, whom in turn was staring back at Jongdae with a grin on his face.

‘’Where’s your hubby?’’ Taeyong shrugged, glancing over the room and finding nothing. ‘’He might have gone outside with a couple people.’’ Jongdae nodded, ‘’Shall we go find him?’’ Taeyong nodded and stood up, waiting for Jongdae to do the same.

‘’How did you and Youngho-ssi actually meet?’’ Taeyong bit his lip, remembering his confusion the day at the café, then the quarter of the year meeting, when Youngho took him to that benefit event. Truthfully speaking, it was a certified mess.

‘’Well—I met him at the company, since I’m an intern. While Youngho-hyung was convinced we were soulmates, I was confused and terrified. I never grew up with that feeling people always describe, where you feel like you’re never alone.’’ Jongdae nodded, ‘’My friends kept telling me to just figure it out, to see where things were headed. In the end I listened and now here we are.’’ Taeyong could hear a soft giggle escaping Jongdae’s throat just as they walked into the corridor of the hotel, spotting a group of men standing close to the entrance.

‘’That’s cute.’’ As they neared the group, Taeyong made out the faces of Jaehyun, Doyoung, Yuta and Yukhei standing with Youngho. Taeyong groaned at his friends’ antics, quickening his step till he reached the group.

‘’Hello!’’ He announced his presence by grabbing Youngho’s hand and glaring at his friends, who in turn just smiled innocently. Taeyong rolled his eyes. ‘’I told you guys not to interrogate him.’’ Jaehyun raised his hands in defence, ‘’We didn’t do that! We just asked some questions, that’s all.’’

Taeyong never grew up with siblings. He didn’t see the boys at the orphanage as his brothers and the first person who was protective over him was Yuta. This, however, felt an awful lot like his big brothers were protecting him.

Taeyong huffed, ‘’It’s okay, baby. It’s normal. I was the same when Sehun-hyung and Junmyeon-hyung got together.’’ Taeyong pouted, ‘’You’re supposed to be on my side!’’ Yuta stifled a laugh by holding his hand in front of his mouth, earning him a glare from Taeyong in return.

‘’Where are Jungwoo and Sicheng, anyway?’’ Taeyong frowned at Yukhei and Yuta, who both shrugged. ‘’Pretty sure they’re just sitting and talking somewhere.’’

Taeyong sighed, ‘’why don’t you guys go find them?’’

Doyoung whistled, ‘’You can just tell us you need a moment alone with your hubby, hyung.’’ Taeyong swatted at the beta’s shoulder, ushering his friends away. Jongdae had long fled the scene and the omega pouted. He’ll find him again later tonight.

But first, he turned to Youngho. ‘’So,’’ Taeyong’s hand reached up to fix Youngho’s collar, making the alpha smile. ‘’Don’t I get a kiss first?’’ Youngho interrupted him, making Taeyong close his eyes. He was sure the alpha knew what this was about.

‘’Fine.’’ Taeyong stood on his tippy toes, leaving a quick peck on his boyfriend’s lips before standing back straight. Youngho pouted.

‘’A little birdy told me you gave my notebook to Jongdae-hyung?’’

‘’You’re calling him hyung already?’’

‘’Is that a hint of _jealousy_ I hear, love?’’

‘’No. Carry on.’’

Taeyong smiled, shaking his head. ‘’Thank you.’’ Youngho frowned at that, his arms finding Taeyong’s waist to pull him closer. ‘’Why are you thanking me?’’

‘’Because if it weren’t for you, I would’ve never gotten opportunities like this. He invited me over to his studio!’’ Taeyong was beyond ecstatic at this point, a wide grin on his face as he looked Youngho in the eye. The alpha smiled back, placing a kiss on Taeyong’s exposed forehead.

‘’You have talent, Yongie. I’m pretty sure you would’ve achieved all of this on your own at some point. I’m just glad I can speed the process up a little bit.’’ Youngho leant in, resting his head atop of Taeyong’s to tighten their embrace even more.

Taeyong felt his face flush as the alpha inhaled heavily, his hands on the omega’s waist tightening their grip. It made Taeyong feel warm.

‘’Is your heat coming up, my love?’’ Youngho’s voice was heavier, rougher around the edges. Taeyong could sense Youngho’s alpha pheromones spiking just the slightest, held back by the dampers but strong enough to get a waft of.

‘’Yes, yes it is.’’ Youngho felt warm, felt safe. Taeyong could stay here forever, with the silent promise of getting taken care of whenever his heat decided to hit. However, there was a party waiting inside those doors, a responsibility to attend which Youngho shared with Junmyeon, and so, the two of them shared a kiss before walking back inside.

 

‘’Taeyong-ssi! Your designs are absolutely marvellous! Please pretty please design me a suit one day!’’ Sehun was slurring his words, a glass of water that Junmyeon had pushed into his hands a few minutes before. The room had cleared out, everyone leaving the party with smiles on their faces and tinted cheeks, wishing everyone a goodnight.

His friends and Sehun, Junmyeon, Youngho, Jongdae and Minseok were sat around one of the bigger tables, Taeyong in Youngho’s lap much like Jungwoo in Yukhei’s and Sicheng in Yuta’s—both omegas slightly tipsy—, admiring Taeyong’s notebook while Jongdae gave his heartfelt compliments and incredibly thorough reviews.

Taeyong was beaming in Youngho’s lap, the nerves of showing people his art washed away by the three glasses of wine he had consumed. ‘’Of course!’’ He replied, giggling as he grabbed Sehun’s unoccupied hand. Sehun laughed in return, squeezing Taeyong’s hand before turning to Junmyeon.

‘’Can he—can he design our wedding suits? O my god Taeyongie! Junmyeon can he—can he please?!’’ Junmyeon choked on his coffee—god knows why he was drinking _that_ of all drinks—eyeing Sehun with a grin. ‘’If he wants to, I’m sure we could discuss something.’’

‘’I wanna help!’’ Jongdae, unlike the rest of them –with exception of Sehun—was incredibly drunk, hanging off of Minseok’s shoulder with a lopsided smile. Minseok cooed at him, petting his hair. They hadn’t ended up going home like Jongdae had said they would, instead settling at a table for the rest of the night while conversing with passing people and eating delicious finger foods. Jongdae had rambled about the small egg rolls to Taeyong two hours into the party, with seven glasses of champagne down his throat.

Jongdae was an odd specimen.

‘’Does baby feel left out?’’ The table laughed, leaving Jongdae to pout before reaching for Taeyong’s notebook once more. ‘’I would love to design your wedding suits.’’ Taeyong whispered among the chaos, making Sehun squeal.

‘’O my god yes!’’ He fist bumped the air, making Sicheng—who was seated on Yuta’s lap on the opposite side of the table—do the same thing. Yuta chuckled, ‘’what are you excited about, babe?’’ Sicheng looked at him before shrugging. Taeyong couldn’t control his laughter, bending down to fit his head in the crook of Youngho’s shoulder.

‘’You okay?’’ the alpha asked, his hand caressing Taeyong’s back. The position was way too intimate for such a setting, but Taeyong found that he couldn’t care less. He was warm and happy, seated in his soulmate’s arms with his friends surrounding him. It was everything he had wanted and hoped for since he was young.

The wave of adoration that hit him wasn’t like a thunderstrike. It was like soft rain slowly turning into a storm, like the moon slowly rising into the sky or the sun settling down again. It was a gradual process that set itself in motion from the moment Taeyong saw Youngho. The seed that Youngho had planted in his heart that day had grown into a full-blown tree which was only growing and blossoming day by day.

Everyone was preoccupied with their own partners, some standing up to leave and promising to see each other after getting some well-deserved rest, others in their own little bubble.

Taeyong didn’t look around. Didn’t know who was still seated with them or who wasn’t. It was only Youngho and him. Only them.

‘’I love you.’’ Taeyong didn’t miss a beat, his voice soft and right next to Youngho’s ear. The alpha went rigid for a second, his hand stopping its movement on Taeyong’s back.

‘’What?’’ Youngho whispered back.

‘’I love you.’’ Taeyong repeated, closing his eyes as Youngho’s hand continued rubbing circles into his skin. Telling Youngho that he loved him was as easy as breathing, as wonderful as the sun shining low in the sky when the weather is perfect and the birds are still chirping, and Taeyong didn’t regret it one bit.

He loved Youngho.

‘’I love—love you too.’’ It was a whisper, low and strained by definite tears that Taeyong knew Youngho was trying to hold back.

‘’Say it again.’’ Taeyong didn’t realize the tears streaming down his face till Youngho pulled him back, a similar teary smile on his face as he reached up to wipe the tears away.

‘’I love you.’’ The room was empty except for them and Taeyong felt so alive, so happy and on cloud nine it was almost suffocating.

‘’I love you. I love you.’’ Taeyong repeated the sentence like a mantra, placing kisses all over Youngho’s face. The alpha giggled and Taeyong tasted the salt on his skin, the tears of happiness now streaming down both of their faces.

In that moment it was them and them alone. With the knowledge that Youngho, someone like Youngho, harboured love for him, Taeyong could do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments are appreciated, of course!!
> 
> thank you guys for the support you've given this fic over the last few months. I appreciate each and everyone of you. 
> 
> love you


	22. Chapter 22.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for over a month of wait. writers block and personal circumstances kicked my ass before i could kick back. i hope you don't hate me, and that you'll enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> mind the change in tags loves!

Taeyong watched as Professor Lee chatted with some students on the first row, the lecture having ended a couple minutes ago. The omega stood on the stairs, biting his lip while debating whether or not to go and talk to his professor. The man who gave him this placement. He kind of wanted to know why.

“C’mon, hyung. People are waiting for us to get coffee.” Taeyong casted a glance over his shoulder to look at Yuta, nodding his head. He walked down the steps of the auditorium, new laptop clutched in his hand and backpack slung over his shoulder. He ignored the thrumming of warmth in his veins, legs a little shaky and sweat forming on his forehead. Professor Lee had since left the students, instead being seated at his desk while watching the students slowly drip out of the hall.

“You coming?” Yuta asked, face close to Taeyong. Taeyong nodded, “Right after I talk to Professor Lee.” The alpha groaned, making Taeyong roll his eyes. “You don’t have to wait for me, I’ll meet you at the café.” Yuta nodded, “I’ll tell the others.” And with a soft pat on the shoulder, Yuta followed the stream of students toward the exit.

The omega shivered, another wave of heat surging through him. His heat was going to hit during this weekend, once again, and Taeyong cursed his body for starting a little early like it always does.

Taeyong cleared his throat as he approached the professor’s desk, trying to get his brain in check and his hands in front of his chest while holding his laptop. He really should have put it in his bag instead. Professor Lee looked up and smiled at Taeyong, beckoning him over. In moments like these Taeyong was glad that scent dampers were a thing.

“If it isn’t Lee Taeyong!” Taeyong fought the urge to groan in embarrassment, instead just awkwardly chuckled while he nodded. “How are you, Taeyong?”

At that, Taeyong smiled. “I’m doing good, professor.” The professor hummed, moving a couple of papers around before his eyes turned back to Taeyong. “How’s your placement going? Working on your report, I hope?” Taeyong nodded, remembering his weekly updates in his report that were hastily written at three am on a Sunday night most of the time.

Well, in the beginning. Now he had the time to sit in the library with Yuta while they both worked on their reports.

“It’s going extremely well, professor.” Taeyong shifted his weight from one foot to the other, a small smile on his face. “You look rested, relaxed. I don’t know what happened in these couple months, but I’m glad it did. Your grades from finals week are way higher than what you usually scored. I’m proud of you, Taeyong. 

The omega blushed, nodding his head in gratitude. “Thank you, sir.” A silence fell over the two, Taeyong biting his lip with a silent question stuck in his head. He was overthinking this, probably.

“Can I help you with anything, Taeyong?” Taeyong hadn’t spoken to his professor in ages. There wasn’t any reason to, other than attending his lectures like regular business while Yuta sat next to him, typing away at something on his laptop that was definitely not related to economics. 

“I was—I was wondering, sir, why you—uhm—gave me the placement at SeoKim?” Professor Lee looked up from his own laptop, a soft smile on his face that served to calm Taeyong’s rapid beating heart. The older alpha sighed, “I know Liu Amber, your supervisor, as a good friend of mine. It just kind of happened.”

Taeyong nodded, a small whisper of ‘okay’ leaving his lips. Such a simple reason, so mundane, and yet it had been a reason, decision, that had changed Taeyong’s life for the better. A wave of gratefulness hit him like a truck. Taeyong felt a muscle in his hip contract, making him want to yelp out. The heat was almost gone now, but he was sure it would return in a couple hours as his actual heat.

“Thank you, for, for giving me it, sir.” The older man in front of him frowned, “Thank me? For what?”

Taeyong smiled, his shoulders relaxing even more. He was wearing a comfortable baby blue hoodie that he had bought with his last bit of own salary –to Youngho’s great annoyance—and despite the fact that the lecture hall was freezing due to air conditioning, the omega felt warm.

“I met my soulmate because of the decision that you made, sir. He’s the reason I’ve been doing so well.” Professor Lee’s smile grew larger, his hands dropping into his lap with a sigh. All the students were gone, by now, the huge hall now vacant of any life other than them. Every now and then a lost student passed the door, their shoes squeaking or their mouths humming a song as they walked by, on their way home.

“I’m glad to hear, Taeyong. However, the reason you’ve been doing so well is you, and only you.” Taeyong shook his head, “He gave me opportunities and granted me the freedom I needed.”

Professor Lee sounded exactly like Youngho had sounded a couple days back, when Taeyong kept thanking him for the meeting with Jongdae and everything the alpha had done for him in such a short amount of time. The older kept telling that Taeyong was the one who worked so hard, who had given it his all and had still lost so much in spite of that. But, Taeyong didn’t want to believe it.

Seo Youngho was the reason why he was thriving, and Taeyong was okay with that. Sure, he was the one handing in assignments and working on his presentations and studying his ass off for finals, but his boyfriend was the one who gave him the chance to work this hard. Without Youngho, Taeyong would’ve still been in the same constant cycle.

When Taeyong told Youngho this, the alpha had kissed him harshly before whispering that Taeyong was the strongest person he had ever met.

Professor Lee just nodded, before standing up. “What matters is that you’re doing better, Taeyong. I’ll see you next class, okay?” Taeyong nodded, bowing goodbye before leaving the hall with a smile on his face.

He had wanted to thank his professor for a while now, and now that he had finally done it, his shoulders felt a bit lighter.

 

“Nah, my supervisor is a total sweetheart. She’s hilarious and clumsy as hell dude, I told you this before.” Yukhei was telling a story Taeyong had heard before just as he slipped into a seat next to Doyoung and Sicheng, who offered him a smile before turning back to Yukhei. His supervisor was a girl by the name of Yuqi, Chinese just like Yukhei.

“She works at the gym, does masterclasses and everything and yet she trips over the fucking treadmill ? That’s hilarious.” Jaehyun was laughing fully, especially after Yukhei showed him the video of the event going down. The phone was passed in between their friends before ending up back at Yukhei.

“Mine is old and cranky.” Jaehyun commented, throwing an arm around the back of Doyoung’s chair with an exaggerated sigh.

“That’s because you chose one in real estate, my friend. Everyone in real estate is either a flaming homosexual or extremely cranky. There’s no way around it.” Yuta cheered, bumping his glass against Sicheng’s with a laugh leaving his lips. Jaehyun faux pouted, not too pleased.

“Hey, at least yours don’t beat your ass when you accidentally burn a piece of salmon.” Jungwoo groaned out, taking a sip of his wine in great distress.

“We only have barely two months left; we’ll make it through.” Doyoung responded, getting a cheer from everyone around the table. Taeyong smiled at his friends, happy that he was able to spend time with them now. A waiter walked past their table and Yuta motioned him over.

“Everything to your liking?”

“Yes, it’s amazing. Can we get another coke?” The waiter nodded before bowing and walking off again. Taeyong settled down in the chair fully now, listening to his friends share stories and butting in every now and then. Jungwoo, to his left, leant over to Taeyong just as Jaehyun arrived at the—what the omega assumed to be—punchline of his joke.

“Your heat is coming, isn’t it?” Taeyong rolled his eyes. The younger omega knew fully well that his heat was coming up, the date in their shared family calendar on the wall just like Jungwoo’s was. –Jungwoo’s heat hit two weeks before, making Taeyong stay over at Youngho’s house so that him and Yukhei could go through it together—Before Youngho was even in the picture and Jungwoo’s heat would hit, Taeyong would either sleep in Sicheng’s room or knock on Yuta’s door.

Taeyong hated sleeping in the alpha/beta dorms, usually too overwhelmed by the scents to even get one hour of sleep. But, now that he had Youngho, he no longer needed to resort to such options nor was he as affected by scents as he was before he met his boyfriend.

It seemed as if though meeting Youngho only came with pro’s instead of cons.

“Yeah, tomorrow officially but I’m burning up already.” Jungwoo hummed, a hand coming to rest on Taeyong’s thigh, soothing circles rubbed into the skin there. Taeyong squeezed the younger’s hand appreciatively.

“I’m assuming you’re going over to Youngho’s house?” Suddenly, Taeyong was reminded of the conversation he had shared with Jungwoo over the phone. The younger omega smirked, seemingly having realized where Taeyong’s mind had wandered off too. Taeyong shoved his shoulder in retaliation, making Jungwoo chuckle. 

“I am, yeah.” Taeyong confessed, cheeks heating up. “Tomorrow morning, actually.” His heat had already gotten a little worse, approaching like a hunter attempting to reach closer to his prey, than it normally was. According to a quick google search, Taeyong’s omega knew that there was now an alpha who could take care of it, and therefore it had gotten much whinier than usual. Which, to Taeyong’s greatest horror, resulted into early heat symptoms such as scorching skin, sweating and legs that felt like jelly.

To Taeyong’s luck, he hadn’t started leaking yet.

The original plan was for Taeyong to be picked up by Mark, Youngho’s driver, after lectures ended at two in the afternoon, but Taeyong had called Youngho about it this morning and offered for Taeyong to skip his classes and come as early as he wanted in the morning.

He couldn’t come tonight, sadly, because Youngho had a business meeting followed up by late dinner to attend to which he couldn’t get out off. Taeyong wasn’t looking forward to suffering alone tonight. According to Youngho when he called right after lunch, Sehun had tried to get Junmyeon to agree with the fact that Youngho could skip the meeting in order to help Taeyong out, but the alpha had not given in despite his mate’s begging.

Taeyong had shot Sehun a ‘thank you for trying’ message with a heart, to which the older omega responded with a promise to take him shopping somewhere the upcoming few weeks on Junmyeon’s card.

“Oh great, the dorm will reek tonight.” Jungwoo joked, making Taeyong huff. In favor of ignoring the omega’s jokes, Taeyong tuned back into the conversation his friends were having.

 

After the group had collectively decided to walk back to campus and their respective dorms, Taeyong hugging everyone goodbye because he wouldn’t be around all weekend, the omega could be found shaking and withering in his bed. Jungwoo had draped a little towel soaked with cold water across Taeyong’s forehead, hoping it would ease some of the heat away.

“Hurts, woo.” Taeyong whimpered, heart ramming against his ribcage like the organ was trying to escape. Jungwoo sighed from where he was sitting on his bed, Taeyong’s muffled complaints falling on emphasizing ears.

Taeyong was nested, like he always does. However, this time, he wasn’t using Yuta’s and Yukhei’s old shirts. Instead, he was surrounded by pillows from Youngho’s apartment and a plethora of items from the man’s wardrobe. Taeyong’s alpha’s scent was everywhere, surrounding him and wrapping him in a blanket of minimal comfort.

It wasn’t what Taeyong’s body yearned for at this time. It was begging for a knot, slick running down his legs and leaking onto the fabric of his bedding, making the omega cringe despite himself. 

“I know, hyung. I know.” Before the alpha’s and Doyoung had split away from the group to get to their own dorms, Yukhei had stopped Taeyong –who, by that time of the night, was already limping and sweating like crazy—and offered to come to their dorm. Although Taeyong himself appreciated the thought and it would’ve probably calmed his omega down to have an actual alpha present, he wasn’t sure how Youngho would react if he smelled like a different alpha at a time like this.

“M’ gonna—gonna text him.” Jungwoo hummed as a reply to Taeyong’s words. The older omega groaned, stretching his limbs as a shiver ran through him that resulted in more slick dripping out. He reached for his phone, opening his messages with Youngho as fast as he could. Completely ignoring the cat meme Youngho had sent him a couple hours before, Taeyong started typing.

**To: Youngho <3: ** _everything hurts_

Taeyong didn’t have to wait long, the sound of Youngho’s personalized ringtone echoing through the dorm for a short three seconds before disappearing again.

**From: Youngho <3: ** _I know love, I’m sorry. I’ll be there as soon as I can._

Taeyong whined high in his throat, heat spreading across his skin like a wildfire. 

**To: Youngho <3: ** _tonight? Please? After your work stuff? I’ll stay up, I promise. Everything hurts._

 Taeyong could practically hear Youngho sigh in fake annoyance, but he was happily surprised with a ‘of course’ back from his boyfriend.

“And?” Came Jungwoo’s voice. It felt miles away, Taeyong’s mind hazy and cloudy. “Picking me up after work.” Taeyong replied, a huff leaving his lips as he tried to relax into his sheets. He cuddled one of Youngho’s sweaters close to his chest, digging his nose into the fabric. As his boyfriend’s scent travelled through his airways down to his lungs, Taeyong felt himself go less warm, his body giving him a few seconds to relax.

 

Relaxing wasn’t in Taeyong’s vocabulary that night. His nest wasn’t enough, his own clothes shed onto the floor and his naked form rutting against one of the pillows Youngho had given him a couple days before. Soft moans came from his mouth, the pleasure good but not nearly enough for what he wanted.

Slick kept coming and had dried up on his thighs, leaving a sticky sensation between the omega’s legs. By the time a knock on the door echoed through the dorm room, Jungwoo had left to visit Yukhei.

At first the omega hadn’t wanted to, refused to leave Taeyong alone, but with the promise of Youngho coming to get him later that night, Jungwoo was ushered out of the door. With that, Taeyong was saved from embarrassment. He was never this needy, could deal with the heat and the curling need in his stomach easily. But now that his body knew his soulmate was there to help him through it, Taeyong felt as if every nerve end was on fire, nothing enough to sate the want and the clenching of his hole around nothing.

“Come in.” He mumbled, rolling his hips down onto the pillow once more. Despite the lack of volume, the person on the other hand must have heard him. Taeyong wondered who it was. It couldn’t possibly be Youngho, who to Taeyong’s recollection, had work till at least twelve, maybe even later.

But, before the person could even say anything, Taeyong could smell it. His body started burning up once more at the strong cinnamon and hardwood entering his nose, the desire curling low in his gut.

“A—alpha.” Taeyong whined, body trembling as he moved to make himself visible to Youngho. The pheromones in the room spiked to an all-time high, Taeyong directly feeling the effect he had on the alpha.

“Shh baby, I’ve got you. It’s okay.” Taeyong felt a new type of heat spread through his veins, leaving his body completely lax and pliant against his sheets and Youngho’s shirts as the alpha reached him, one of his hands cradling the omega’s face.

“Ne—need. Hurts.” Taeyong raised his arms as high as he could, fingers curling to touch Youngho. To feel his alpha. His head spinning and toes curling from another wave of painful heat. Youngho resisted the urge to growl and opted for lifting Taeyong off of his bed, instead. Immediately, Taeyong curled into Youngho’s chest. He couldn’t find it in himself to be embarrassed about his nakedness, body moving on its own as his hips move against Youngho’s chest.

“Baby?—Baby look at me. I’m going to dress you in your pajamas—” Taeyong let out a whine, dreading the uncomfortable heat of having something touching his skin other than Youngho’s hands. Youngho sighed. “And get you in the car. There’s clothes and blankets in there and I’ll take you home, okay?” Taeyong groaned but nodded, letting Youngho dress him with slow movements and soft kisses before being carried down the emergency stairs, leading to the back door.

Youngho put Taeyong down on the backseat, shirts and a blanket thrown onto the leather making Taeyong’s skin burn with joy as he touched them and scented them as Youngho. “Hurts.” The omega whined once more, eyes wide as he stared at his boyfriend, who leaned down to place a kiss against his lips. 

Taeyong was quick to wind his arms around Youngho’s neck, locking the older man in place as a flood of relief washed through him like a tsunami. The older groaned, letting Taeyong’s eager tongue lick into his mouth for a couple seconds before pulling back. Distress was the first thing Youngho saw after opening his eyes, and he felt his heart ache shared with an emotion of pure lust. 

“Shh, twenty minutes baby. Twenty minutes.”

The twenty minutes felt like ages to Taeyong. His stomach churned and his skin burned, sweat and slick leaking from his body atop the leather seats and the blanket under him. He wanted to take off his clothes, the fabric setting his skin on fire and setting his senses alight, but as Taeyong reached to shakily untie the knot in his pajama’s, Youngho whistled from in front of the car.

“Keep it on or I’ll lose control.” Taeyong whipped his head around as fast as he could, dizziness striking his features before Youngho’s back profile came into view. The omega whined. “Hot.” Taeyong was beyond coherent, his tongue heavy in his mouth. Youngho’s thumbs drummed the steering wheel, speeding through a red light a little too fast.

“I know, baby. Almost there.” Taeyong focused on the way Youngho’s knuckles, trying to forget how the bottom of his pajamas were soaked through, how the blanket smelling of his alpha didn’t seem to help anymore. The only thing Taeyong felt was need, hot in his throat as he whined for Youngho.

“Fuck.” Taeyong felt the car accelerate even more, before closing his eyes as another heat wave hit him. They were close, they had to be. Taeyong clenched his eyes shut, hoping for the car to stop driving and for Youngho’s arms around him again.

It took a few more minutes before Youngho carried Taeyong out of the car, the omega curled around him like a koala. His hips rutted against the alpha’s torso, soft moans and whines leaving Taeyong’s lips with every movement Youngho made. 

Before Taeyong knew it, he was walked through the front door, Youngho’s scent hitting him harder than ever before. Immediately, a whine left his throat and his movements sped up, the omega searching for Youngho, Youngho, Youngho.

Taeyong felt the softness of a mattress on his back, sheets stripped off the bed and leaving a nest Youngho had probably tried to make for Taeyong. The younger felt his heart surge at the gesture, locking his legs around Youngho’s waist where the older was seated in between his legs.

“You’re okay baby, I’ll help you through this.” The assurance that there was finally someone to help him through this moment, even though it has never felt this painful before, made Taeyong want to tear up and cry. A lone tear found its way down his cheek, making Youngho reach over and kiss it away.

“Wa—wan—ne—need. Please!” Youngho’s mouth travelled south, leaving bites and kisses across Taeyong’s shoulder, down his chest after taking off his shirt and down to where Taeyong’s pants were now soaked at the front, too.

Taeyong whined as Youngho’s hands found their way to his trembling thighs, pushing them down from their current position. With all the power in his body he tried to keep his legs around the alpha, not wanting him to leave. Needing the warmth.

“Shh my love, you’ll get it. Let me get your pants off and my clothes as well.” Taeyong wanted to protest but his body went pliant with the way Youngho addressed him, his legs falling to the bed as he watched the alpha undress himself first before swiftly tugging off Taeyong’s.

The omega howled as the cold air from the apartment wrapped around him fully, legs shaking and skin thrumming with _want, need, crave_ before Youngho found him again, grounding the whimpering boy with a kiss.

The alpha took full control, licking into Taeyong’s mouth, exploring him with hands travelling down his boyfriend’s chest, finding spots that made the boy yelp and scream, begging for more.

“Such a pretty little omega, aren’t you?” Taeyong felt Youngho’s words against the skin of his thighs, where the older had been softly biting the skin, and he cried out. “Al—alpha! I need—now.”

“Want my knot, pretty baby?” Taeyong wanted to scream, beg for the alpha not to tease, but his mind short circuited when Youngho’s index finger prodded around his already slick rim, scooping up some of Taeyong’s slick before pushing it right back inside. 

Taeyong screamed, legs flailing as white-hot pleasure coursed through him, his untouched cock jumping on his stomach as his first orgasm of the night wrecked his body. His skin didn’t let up, heat spreading through his veins like a forest fire, Youngho’s finger still circling his rim.

“Please, please.” Taeyong begged, breathless and exhausted to the bone. Youngho hummed, “You already came, baby. Are you—”

“ _Alpha_ , please.” Youngho’s eyes flashed a darker brown than the ones Taeyong had complimented so many times and the omega whimpered under the powerful gaze his partner held now.

Without another word, Youngho pushed in two fingers, filling Taeyong. The omega howled loudly, arching his back off the bed as his walls thrummed around his boyfriend’s fingers. Taeyong could feel the tears run down his face, the cold air of the apartment doing nothing to calm down the heat curling in his stomach. He ached all over, head pounding with nothing but need and want. He was _this_ close to crying and begging for Youngho to knot him.

“Want my knot, baby?” Taeyong had half the mind to nod, widening his legs as far as he could go. He heard Youngho take in a harsh breath, watched as the alpha’s nostrils flared and Taeyong felt a smirk creep up on his face. Two could play at this game.

“Want my—my alpha’s knot. Want him to pump me full, full of his cum and s—spear me on his kn— _oh!_ ” The first slide of the head of Youngho’s cock was heavenly, numbing his senses almost instantly. Taeyong whined loudly, shaking his head when Youngho teasingly pulled away.

His hands found their way into the blanket under him, Taeyong’s knuckles turning white as he knocked a pillow off of the bed with the way his head jerked. “ _Please—oh please. Alpha please!_ ”

Taeyong gurgled, spit leaving his mouth as Youngho finally pushed in, whimpers and moans falling from his lips. Above him, Youngho let out his very own moan, his hips pushing in further and further.

Taeyong felt high on the drug that was Youngho’s drags against his walls, clenching down on the elder’s dick with determination to make the alpha come, to get his knot to fill him up.

Youngho stopped, allowing Taeyong to come to his senses just a little bit, letting him get used to the stretch despite the amount of slick still running down the omega’s thighs. Drool dribbles down Taeyong’s tongue and honestly Youngho should think it to be disgusting, but he leaned over to lick it away, locking their lips together in a kiss as he thrusted his hips up harshly.

Taeyong gasped, eyes rolling back in his head. Punch drunk on the feeling of alpha, of Youngho inside of him, he felt his body going limp, hole stretching pliantly with every thrust to prepare him for the painful stretch of his alpha’s knot.

Youngho growled above him, letting his carnal needs seep into his movements just a little bit as he started biting at the expanse of Taeyong’s neck, nibbling on the skin with hard thrusts. Taeyong felt his body rock backward onto the bed, back arching off as pleasure pooled in his tummy once more.

He clenched around Youngho, making the alpha growl darkly from his chest. It rumbled down Taeyong’s spine, the possessive grip that Youngho had on his hips deliciously painful as he came down from his second orgasm.

The pheromones were going crazy in the room, filling it with a thick layer of arousal and leaving the two people on the bed to lose everything to their needs and senses. Youngho’s thrusts continued ruthlessly, despite the whines of Taeyong, gurgles and gasps leaving his mouth as he just takes what his alpha is giving him, giving him what he needed so desperately.

Taeyong felt the stretch of Youngho’s knot expanding, stretching his walls oh so deliciously, making the omega scream out in agony and pleasure, a third orgasms wrecking his body simultaneously to Youngho’s knot fully expanding, cum flooding his ass.

There was a split second of thought, a distant craving which Taeyong could recognize as his omega screaming for more, for pups, for a mating mark. He tried to will it away with all his might, letting his pleasure and the way Youngho was engulfing him completely, inside and out, take over. 

There was the tell-tale sound of the alpha’s heavy breaths, the feel of the hot air hitting Taeyong’s slightly cooled down skin and the realization that this had been there first time, before the omega felt sharp teeth caress his scent gland and Youngho’s hips thrust up once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *crawls into corner of shame* this was one of my first times writing proper smut, sorry :]
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**Author's Note:**

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